Ravnicademy
by ZabuFanfics
Summary: Jace Beleren was expecting a lot of things after getting transferred to Ravnica Academy, but getting involved with dangerous guilds, scheming dragons and falling in love weren't any of those things.
1. Welcome Wagon

The high vaulted ceiling of the main entrance of Ravnica Academy made the campus seem even bigger than it already was. Walking along the marble floor embellished with the school's emblem, Jace Beleren couldn't help but look up in awe... even though he'd been through this particular room several times. The map of the building must have been drawn up by some sort of sadist, seeing as it kept on leading him everywhere but where he needed to go. It didn't help that he had yet to see a single soul who could make sense of the layout of the building for him, seeing as the school year had yet to begin and even students who had chosen to remain in the schools dorms that summer probably didn't spend their time just wandering around the school building.

"This place is set up like a damn maze." Jace muttered to himself as he looked at the map again. He figured he'd simply be in and out- seeing as he only needed to make one stop- but he'd somehow managed to waste nearly an hour getting lost and retracing his steps back to the main entrance. And with no one around who would know their way around, the only thing he could do was keep aimlessly wandering around until he happened upon where he needed to go. That or just give up and retire to his dorm and start unpacking. Just about done with feeling like he was getting mocked by the layout of a building, he resolved to do just that and began to turn to leave.

"Hey! You!" A voice rang out, echoing loudly around the large entryway at a volume that was just at the right pitch to hurt Jace's ears. Still, it was another person, and someone who might be able to help him, so he stopped and looked in the direction the almost-scream had come.

It was a girl, maybe a year or two younger than him, wearing loose, baggy clothes that were better suited on a boy. She had wavy red hair that fell just below her shoulders and a spattering of freckles across her continence that made her seem even younger. She had a pair of goggles strapped to her forehead, only adding to just how odd she looked (maybe she was in a club or something that required her to cover her eyes, but still, these looked like they were more for show). On top of all that, she seemed enthused to see him- maybe a little too enthused. The wide smile she had on as she stomped over to him seemed incredibly insincere

"You must be new!" She chuckled, looking him up and down, chin cradled between her thumb and forefinger in a thoughtful manner.

"What makes you say that?" Jace asked in a tone that bordered on the sarcastic side.

"Well, for one, you're using a map." The girl pointed out, snatching the paper from his hands. "They made this before the school was even finished, and they've added a lot of additions since then. Damn school hasn't taken the time to make up new maps since. This thing will only succeed in getting you lost."

"So I've noticed." Jace muttered, wishing he'd known that bit of information when he talked with the dean while officially enrolling.

"That and I haven't seen you around before. Something tells me I'd remember your face if I saw it once before." She sidled up to him and grinned, nudging him a few times in the ribs, like what Jace assumed was her flirt was also some sort of joke.

"Oh really?" He rolled his eyes, an action the girl may or may not have seen as she crumpled up the useless map and tossed it over her shoulder.

"So where was it you were looking to go, new guy?" She asked. "I know my way around this place well enough."

"The infirmary." Jace explained, glad at least that he was finally able to get some actual direction. "I just need to make sure a prescription of mine was delivered there." He paused, noticing the inquisitive look on the girls face. "Special pain medication. I get awful headaches."

"Oh, yeah, I know where that is. I've been there a few times to treat burns." The girl grinned, starting to walk in the direction of the one of the many halls that branched out from the entrance hall.

"Um-" Jace began.

"I'll take you there! I've got nothing else better to do, and you could use the company." She said with a smile, pausing mid-step and waiting for him to follow. Jace sighed through his nose. He really had no other choice but to follow her. He wasn't so much of a recluse that he'd turn down getting help if it meant having to interact with a complete stranger. She seemed harmless enough anyway. So, with a slight shrug of his shoulders, he followed after her, several steps behind her energetic jaunt.

"Hey, if you're new here, you've probably never heard of the guilds." She piped up shortly after their journey began. She spun around so that she was facing him while continuing to walk backwards, flame-red hair flying haphazardly about her as she turned.

"Guilds?" Jace humored her.

"Well, they're more like clubs, but they run this school more than the teachers and staff do." She explained. "Everyone pretty much stays out of their way and does as they say. If someone from a guild approaches you, it's best you probably listen to them, or else they'll make your time here a living hell."

"Are you in any of these clubs- er, guilds?" Jace asked, to which the girl snorted.

"No way, too much work! That and they have to follow some pretty strict rules, and I'm not a very big fan of sticking to those." She smirked, although Jace met her mischievous expression with one of blank disinterest. "I mean, I'm sure the perks are great- getting to lord over students and all- but it all sounds like way too much responsibility."

"How many of these guilds are there, exactly?"

"Ten, officially, though the stage is always set for people to try and register to make a new guild. The guidelines set up for registering a guild are long and strict as all hell, so unless you don't like having time on your hands, I wouldn't recommend it. No one's bothered to try and register a new guild for a really long-ass time anyway." She paused, holding up both hands and putting down each finger as she listed the guilds off.

"First, you have your head honchos- they pretty much make up what could be described as the student council: Azorius, Boros and Orzhov. You hardly see anyone from Orzhov wandering around school, though, and if you ever meet up with someone from Boros you'd better get ready for a beating; they tend to go about disciplining students by force." She began to explain.

"Are all their names that ridiculous?" Jace asked mockingly, but she either didn't hear him, or was ignoring him.

"The you have the brainiacs: Simic and Izzet. If you ever get to meet Izzet's guild leader, _ho_ man... you'll find out soon enough, I'm sure. Just hope you like tea.

"The rest are special interest groups: Golgari, Gruul, Rakdos and Selesnya. And I think..."

"That's only nine." Jace pointed out. The girl paused thoughtfully, tongue poking out of the side of her mouth in a manner that seemed completely over-acted.

"Oh, right! I completely forgot about Dimir! But no one really knows what the hell they do, or if the guild is even around any more. Once you manage to form a guild, no one really ever goes snooping to see if you're still active." She shrugged, finally returning to facing forward.

"So they're essentially clubs?"

"On paper. They all have their 'official forms of function' but that's really all just stuff floating on the surface. None of them are really good news, which is another reason why I try to stay away. If you want a calm, normal school life, I wouldn't bother with any of them." She paused to snort and expel a single, boisterous laugh into the air. "Of course, Ravnica Academy isn't exactly all that calm or normal to begin with."

"Yeah, not much you can say about a school full of freaks." Jace chimed in.

"Hey, you're one of us now, so that means you're just as much a freak as the rest of us." The girl spoke defensively. "Not to say we aren't freaks. When you gather up all magic folk and people attune to mana and throw them in a school, you're kind of setting yourself up for housing a freakshow."

The girl stopped in her tracks and tuned back around to face him, holding out her hand to the side and motioning towards a door beside her.

"Well, here it is. It's a pretty easy room to find- I'm honestly surprised you couldn't find it on your own." She chuckled.

"Thanks." Was all Jace could manage, his voice a low mutter.

"Hey, no problem..." The girl paused. "Well, shoot, I never got your name! Hell, I never even gave you my name, and here I am, talking your ear off about guilds." She laughed heartily and Jace continued to not fully understand what was so funny... mostly because nothing was actually funny at all. "My name's-"

"Chandra Nalaar." Jace cut in, voice sounding like he was reading lines off a script. "A pyromancer and second generation to enter the academy after your brother, who you might adore just a little too much, if you don't mind me saying. You have a temper fit for several people and your teachers have been known to describe you as 'talented, but has a difficult time following instructions'. You also have a pimple on your forehead that you're trying to hide with your goggles."

The girl, Chandra, instinctively threw her hands over her goggles that were, in fact, hiding a pimple that had sprung up the night before. Her expression was a cross between embarrassment, surprise and untamed, wild anger.

"H-How did you-!?" She part asked- part shrieked, her cheeks now a bright shade of red.

"Mind mage, which is kind of exactly what it sounds like." Jace was quick to explain. "My name's Jace Beleren, which you would be able to figure out by reading the ID I have in my wallet, which, by the way..." He held out his hand and gave her an impatient look, cocking an eyebrow. "...I would really like back."

"Wh... Wha-!?"

"Thanks for helping me find the infirmary, but you only really approached me so you could pick-pocket me. I learned about that before I even figured out about your name." Jace continued to elaborate.

"H-How _dare_ you!" Chandra shouted, hands still covering her head, like her hands would block Jace from continuing to delve into her mind.

"Don't you think I'm the one who should be the one who's upset here? I mean, I was _robbed_, after all."

"Screw you!" Chandra snapped, removing his wallet from where she'd been hiding it on her person and chucking it at him, hitting him square in the chest hard enough that it actually managed to hurt him. Immediately after assaulting him with his own belongings, she turned her tail and ran down the hall, looking over her shoulder to shout "JERK!" as loud as she could as she ran.

"Gods and demons, if that's what the welcome wagon is like..." Jace thought aloud to himself as he bent down to pick up his wallet. It only occurred to him then, once Chandra had run completely out of sight, that he actually didn't quite know where the dormitories were. He shrugged and went to open the door to the infirmary. Someone would probably know where they were, and if they knew, then so did he.


	2. Who are you?

The first thing Jace noticed as he walked into the infirmary was that he wasn't alone. The second was that the one other person in the room with him probably wasn't the school nurse and the third and final thought was nothing but shocked awe that forced him to stand in the doorway with his mouth partially agape. On one of the few beds that were situated around the room that had the odd aroma of both rubbing alcohol and the faint smell of tea, there was a girl about his age, lifting her head off the pillow and slowly sitting up, yawning and stretching and acting like he wasn't standing there with the door wide open.

Despite it being the tail end of summer, her skin was pale, as if she'd spent every waking moment of the long break indoors. Her long, black hair fell all around her, slightly messy, but hardly falling in her face. She had a petite frame, and from what Jace could see that wasn't still covered by the white blanket that had now collected around her waist, she was built like a model. Logical thoughts aside, Jace wondered to himself if she were even real.

It also didn't help she was wearing nothing but a black tank top that shoddily covered her midriff as well as her chest and- as the sheet slipped free of her hips as she stretched- plain, black underwear. It seemed the rest of her clothes were sitting in a messy pile in a chair nearest the bed.

Jace wondered again if what he was seeing was real and not just some twisted illusion.

"Was that you?" The girl asked, rubbing her eyes and finally turning in his direction. The concept of talking suddenly became an anomaly to Jace, and all he could do was stare back at her like a deer caught in the headlights. The girl raised an eyebrow impatiently. "Um... hello?"

"What!? What was me?" Jace gasped, finally finding the thought processes to form simple words. The girl sighed, brushing hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. Her fingers were long and slim and each fingernail was painted with now-aged, cracking nail polish.

"The screaming? That was awfully inconsiderately loud." She explained. "Some people were trying to sleep, you know?"

"Wh-What? No, that wasn't me!" Jace immediately began to retort, raising his hands defensively. "That was... I would never-" The sound of a snort followed by almost mocking laughter cut him off.

"Geeze, don't get so flustered, you'll make me feel bad!" The girl laughed, holding a hand up to her lips as she did so. "I recognize that Chandra's screaming anywhere, so you can calm down now. I know it wasn't you who woke me up."

"O-Oh..." Jace stammered as the girl began to go about getting dressed like he wasn't even there, sliding out of bed and bending every which way to gather her clothes while she muttered to herself what time it was. The chaste, polite part of Jace knew it would be best to just look away and not oogle the girl he had just met while she dressed herself but... gods _damn_. There would be plenty of time to feel bad about staring later.

"So... why are you here?" The girl asked, finally acknowledging him again as she sat back down on the bed and pulled up her torn, black leggings.

"What?" Jace asked, his words a half mumble like he, too, had just been roused from sleep. He cleared his throat upon noticing and shook his head, eyes finally darting elsewhere despite the tempting view. "I mean..."

"You don't look all that sick." The girl noted, standing back up and grabbing a pair of dark-purple shorts and stepping into them. "I mean look at all that color in your cheeks- the very picture of health." Jace looked back to her, catching the knowing grin on her face. She'd been very much aware he'd taken in a healthy helping of her dressing, which only made the blush she'd been right about on his cheeks grow even more vivid. He turned his gaze away again, embarrassment and shame starting to consume him as he wished with all his might he could either rewind time or disappear.

"Just... here to see the prescription... see if they'd gotten my nurse- I mean-!" Jace shook his head again, to which the girl heartily laughed.

"Are you always this smooth, or am I just special?" She chuckled, slipping on the last bits and bobs that were sitting beside the bed- bangle bracelets that delicately jingled and jangled together, two pairs of earrings that were too small for Jace to make out what they were and a necklace that was so large it drooped below the impressively low neckline of her tank top.

"Not always- I mean- crap!" Jace muttered, the even more laughter he got in response not making things any better.

"How nice that you're getting a kick out of this." He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "At least one of us is."

"Sorry, sorry, sometimes I get a little carried away." She smiled, getting out the last of the giggles before loudly clearing her throat. "If you're looking for Emmara, she's off on an errand. She should be back soon if you want to stay and chat. I won't bite, I promise."

"Emmara?" Jace questioned quietly before shaking his head. "N-No, it's alright. I'll just come back later. I'm really sorry for bothering you."

Unfortunately for Jace, the moment he began to flee was the moment someone else came walking through the door. A gasp from him and a cry of surprise from them was all either of the two could manage before they ran headlong into each other, knocking the other to the ground. The sound of them falling ungracefully to the ground was joined by the chaotic rustling of papers scattering and falling through the air. That and yet even more of the black-haired girl's laughter that was unsuccessfully muffled by her hands.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Jace began to profusely apologize. "I should have been looking where I was going!" He blinked, eyes adjusting and coming to find a girl who looked the age of yet another student slowly attempting to rise. She had soft-looking golden hair loosely tied back to reveal pointed ears. She wore business-casual clothing- a white blouse with a golden flower broach pinned to her chest and a beige skirt that hugged her figure and stopped just above her knees and brown tights. On top of all that she wore a white lab coat that draped over her slim, boyish figure like it was meant for someone several sizes than she- like a blanket.

"N-No, it's quite alright." She waved her hand dismissively, refusing the hand he held out to her as she rose to her knees. "I saw you standing in the doorway, I should have tried to get your attention." She began to pick up the papers that had escaped her grasp and had fallen all around them, Jace following suit.

"Sure hope those papers weren't in any particular order, huh, Emmara?" The girl laughed, sounding like she was still right beside the bed and not heading over to help the two of them at all.

"Liliana, please..." The other girl sighed, sounding more exhausted than she had merely seconds ago. She turned to Jace, looking incredibly apologetic. "I'm sorry for anything she does in advance- she's a bit of a handful."

"Hey!"

"It's alright, she didn't do anything." Jace assured her. He added a quick, "aside from dress in front of me like it was nothing" in his thoughts.

"I highly doubt that." The golden-haired girl sighed as she picked up the last of the papers and slowly rose to her feet. Jace did the same, now realizing he stood several heads above the girl who he was starting to realize spoke like someone a lot older than how she appeared. "Liliana especially likes messing with cute boys."

"Gods, stop talking about me like I'm not here!" The other girl groaned, finally walking over to the two of them and stopping beside Jace, holding out her hand. "Well, like she said, I'm Liliana. Liliana Vess."

"I'm Bace Jeleren- I mean Ja-" Jace fumbled with his words shortly after fumbling with the papers he had cradled in his arms as they slipped from his grasp as he moved to shake her hand. Liliana suppressed a snort.

"Bace Jeleren, huh?" She asked, clearly holding back laughter judging by her tone and how her face was contorting as a struggle over whether or not she should continue to laugh at his misfortune went on inside her head.

"Jace Beleren!" Jace snapped accidentally, noticing how sharp he'd sounded and repeating himself. "I'm Jace Beleren."

"Don't you have better things to do than to sleep away a perfectly good day in here?" The other girl asked.

"Oh, right, I forgot I had that thing with all those people that hate me!" Liliana gasped in mock surprise, sarcasm dripping from every syllable of every word. "I'd better get going, or I'm going to be late."

"Liliana..."

"I'll see you later Bace- I mean Jace." She spoke in parting, patting him a little too hard on the shoulder and brushing her own shoulder rudely against the other girl as she made her exit. Jace watched her go, restraining himself from craning his neck so that he continue to follow her with his eyes.

"You'll have to forgive Liliana, she's never really been one for tact." The girl sighed as Jace bent down to collect the papers he had dropped. "I'm Miss Tandris, but I'd rather you just call me Emmara- Miss Tandris makes me feel old. I'm the school nurse."

"W-What?" Jace asked as he raised his head in surprise. "The nurse? I thought you were a student!"

"Well, aren't you one for flattery?" Emmara laughed. "Though, I do suppose that being elven does have it's privileges."

"R-Right." Jace nodded. He really should have assumed right away, given her appearance. "I'm-"

"Jace Beleren- I know. I was there when you introduced yourself the first time." She finished for him, gently taking the papers from his hands and walking inside. "If you're here about your prescription, it was dropped off just yesterday. We'll be able to make any necessary refills once what we've been given runs out."

"Oh, thanks." Jace nodded. "That's really all I came here to check, so-"

"Why don't you stay for a bit? I'm about to make some tea and I'd much rather enjoy it with company." Emmara cut in, setting her papers on the counter and reaching into one of the cupboards and pulling out a tea kettle and a few cups that had clearly seen several uses. "I normally have afternoon tea with Liliana, but it seems we scared her off."

"_We_ scared _her _off?" Jace asked, looking over his shoulder as if she were still there, laughing at him. Emmara giggled behind closed lips as she continued to grab things from drawers and shelves (it seemed she had quite a collection of items for making tea stored in the same places medical items were).

"You know, I'd really love to stay, Miss- I mean, Emmara, but I really should get back to my dorm room and unpack."

"Boxes and bags can wait, they won't be going anywhere." Emmara spoke in a scolding tone as she chose from an impressive collection of boxes of different kinds of tea (oddly enough mixed in with bottles of pills and boxes of bandages). "You humans are always in a rush to do things- once in a while you should try slowing down for a change. You may live shorter lives, but that doesn't mean you have to spend every lat minute running around frantically like a bunch of headless chickens. Now come in, sit down, and I'll make us some tea."

"Yes ma'am." Jace was quick to nod and head inside the room, taking a seat on one of the beds while Emmara filled the tea kettle with water from the sink.

"There's a good boy." She smiled. "And if you have any questions about Liliana, I'll be more than happy to answer them."

"E-Excuse me?" Jace stammered.

"Goodness, boy, I wasn't born yesterday. I know attraction when I see it." Emmara turned to him with a knowing grin. "Don't be so modest about it- Liliana's quite the looker, so you're not the first person to fall under her spell. It's best you just come out and admit it now before those feelings drive you crazy. And I won't tell a soul, I promise. Think of it as doctor-patient confidentiality." She winked at him before pulling out a small, portable electric stove from a cabinet below the sink.

"..." Jace was quiet at first, playing with possible questions in his mind first before asking them. "How exactly do you know Liliana? I mean... you both sounded really familiar."

"Oh, me and her go way back." Emmara chuckled, finishing setting things up. "I've known her for quite some time."

"So she's gone to this school for a while?"

"Hmm... not exactly." She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I suppose there are a few things I shouldn't be at liberty to say. The whole story behind mine and Liliana's friendship is really more for Liliana herself to tell. I can only say we've known one another for longer than people would think."

"Well, can you at least tell me more about her?"

"Now that I can do." Emmara nodded. "She's a bit of a lone-wolf, unfortunately- doesn't play that nice with others. A lot of the things she does are to get what she wants or get a rise out of people. But I've seen what she's like when she finally finds people worth her time: stills acts about the same, but she'll trust you a little more and might actually help you out from time to time- that is, if you get on her good side, of course."

"How do I do that?" Jace asked, unknowingly shifting to the edge of the bed. Emmara chuckled, her shoulders shaking in time with her laughter.

"Ah, there's the real question." She chortled. "She can act as tough as she wants, but in the end Liliana is just like any other girl. You just have to show her a little kindness and heart, just a little more than usual, that's all. She's built up some pretty high walls, but they aren't impossible to climb." She paused as the teakettle began to whistle, her attention occupied now by preparing the tea. "It also helps that you can just peer into her thoughts and see what it is she prefers."

"No!" Jace spoke sternly, causing even Emmara to jump, nearly dropping the teacup she was about to bring over to him. "Sorry I just... I'd rather not. I use my powers all the time, sure, but... using them for that purpose just seems really wrong. If I want to win her affections, I want to do it legitimately."

"Then you're a better man than I figured. If it means anything you have my blessing." Emmara smiled, handing him the cup. "A lot of men come snooping around about Liliana, but they're usually nothing but trouble."

"Ha, you're pretty protective of her." Jace commented, carefully taking the cup. He could feel the searing warmth of the tea through the china.

"Someone's gotta be. Liliana refuses all help, but she can't do everything. So I do what I can to try and lighten the load when she isn't looking." Emmara sighed. "She's got enough on her plate already as it is."

"I'm guessing that's another thing you'd rather Liliana herself tell me?" Jace questioned. Emmara merely nodded, looking down at her own cup.

"I can only say that she's... in a bit of debt with a dangerous lot of people. And the things she does around here are only so she can get help to get them off her back." Emmara explained, seeming legitimately troubled. "Liliana would never do something just to hurt people- I can't stress that enough. She's done a lot of cruel things I'm sure you'll hear about soon enough, but she'd never do anything just for the sake of being cruel."

"I'll try to keep an open mind." Jace assured her. "But I doubt you'd have a reason to lie about something like that."

"You're a good boy, mister Beleren." Emmara said with a relieved smile. Her words were like a sigh of relief. "I just hope Liliana can see that. She needs someone like you- though she'll never admit it."

"R-Really?" Jace questioned, feeling a swell of pride he couldn't bring himself to suppress.

"Heh, look at that smile." Emmara laughed teasingly. Jace attempted to wipe the grin he had just then noticed had spread across his features, and all the while she chuckled. "But yes, I do mean what I said. I just hope you're in it for the long haul and not just after a pretty face. Liliana is no prize to be won, you hear me?"

"I hear you, I hear you." Jace nodded. "I just need to figure out what I need to do for her to actually take me seriously. You saw what happened back there, I was nothing but a joke."

"You're a smart boy, I'm sure you'll come up with something." Emmara assured him after taking a sip of her tea. "You're off to a good start, though. It's been a long time since Liliana laughed like that in a great while. Maybe you just need to keep on acting goofy."

"You know, I'd really rather not..."

The conversation continued like that for only a short while longer before it diverged almost completely from Liliana at all. Before Jace knew it, he was speaking with Emmara as if they two of them had been friends for years. And all the while Jace tried to convince himself he was legitimately getting along with her, and not trying to befriend her simply because she knew Liliana so well.

"Oh, goodness, is that the time!" Emmara suddenly exclaimed mid-sentence as she looked up at the clock. "Time really does fly when you're enjoying yourself."

"Oh, geeze, sorry for taking up so much of your time." Jace apologized.

"Nonsense, you didn't take up anything." She shook her head, placing both of their tea cups in the sink. "But I do suppose I'd better not hold you here for too long. I have a staff meeting I need to attend, so I guess I'll have to send you on your way. But thank you very much for keeping me company- it's been a long while since I've gotten so caught up in conversation like that."

"What about with Liliana?" He questioned. "Doesn't she usually have yea with you."

"Yes, but that girl isn't as talkative as she used to be. Most of the time she just comes here to sleep." Emmara sighed before shaking her head. "But enough about that, I suppose it's time you attended to unpacking. Come back whenever you feel like chatting."

"Or, you know, when I get a really bad migraine." Jace added with a grin.

"Oh, right, that, too!" Emmara nodded as she walked him to the door.

"One more thing, though." Jace added just before he began to leave. "What exactly happened to Liliana. The way you talk makes it sound like something bad happened recently with her."

"Oh, that." Emmara sighed heavily. "But like I said, you'll hear about all that soon enough."


	3. Don't Bring it Up

At first it was nothing but a low rumble, but by the time Jace arrived to the dormitories near the edge of the campus the noise he'd heard that had reached all the way to the school building had only gotten louder. Turned out it was music- impossibly, incredibly loud music. He could feel the thumping of the base in his bones long before he even entered the building, and once he'd entered it felt as if the entire building was shaking.

Stranger still was that no one seemed at all worried or confused. If anything, they seemed only slightly annoyed, moving about the lobby and through the narrow corridors rolling their eyes and muttering to one another (Jace wondered how in the world they could even hear each other when he couldn't even hear his own thoughts clearly).

"Where in the world is that coming from?" He asked himself just before his question was answered. He found himself facing his room, and he looked back at the paper he'd written the room number down on several times. This was his room, alright, the room where the loud, invasive music was drifting from. Several people plugging their ears looked him over judgingly, as if he were the cause for the deafening din. He looked back down the hall, looked at the paper several more times, tried to convince himself that maybe he should just go- in the end, he shrugged in defeat and slowly, grudgingly push his way through the door. The music was so loud, it almost seemed as if it had manifested in a physical force, pressing on the door and causing it to be difficult to open.

The first thing that greeted his vision was the sight of several gigantic speakers that would be more at home in a large concert hall than a small little dorm room. The next was a person with their back facing him, standing not even an arms length from the speakers, hands proudly on his hips. From behind, at least, Jace could make out he was incredibly muscular and hair that he allowed to grow wild. That being said the music was so offensively loud, it was effecting Jace's vision.

"Hey!" He shouted into the room, still standing on on the threshold for fear that his eardrums would burst if he stepped foot in the room. But whoever he was talking to, the proud owner of the loudest speakers in existence, was facing away from him and into the shriek of guitars and the bellow of whoever of whatever was singing. It was going to take a lot more than a "hey" to get the man's attention. So, throwing his hands protectively over his ears, Jace slowly made his way into the room. He noticed as he entered that his boxes had been shoved haphazardly both into the closet and under one of the beds, possibly to make room for the speakers.

"Hey! HEY!" Jace yelled at the top of his lungs, daring to remove one of his hands from over his ears to give the stranger a quick slap on the shoulder. The muscled music appreciator turned around, beaming from ear to ear either over the fact Jace was there or that the music he was playing could probably be heard from space.

"AREN'T THESE SPEAKERS AWESOME!?" He roared, though Jace could hardly hear him at all. He was, however, able to lip read the fact he had said "speakers" and for some reason didn't seem to understand why Jace was pressing his hands as hard as he could against his head.

"YOUR MUSIC IS REALLY LOUD!" Jace began, not even able to hear himself speak.

"I KNOW!" Somehow, the muscle-bound man was able to hear Jace. "IT TOOK ME ALL LAST YEAR TO SAVE UP FOR THESE BABIES!" Unfortunately for Jace, his ears were far from being as keen. "I know" was as far as he managed to get.

"YOUR MUSIC! IS TOO! LOUD!" Jace shouted again, using every last bit of air in his lungs to convey his message.

"NAH, MAN, IT CAN GET LOUDER!" He yelled back, his grin growing wider. Able to make out at least that, Jace began to mouth "no" over and over again while he began to look over the control panel to the speakers, most likely looking for the volume.

"PLEASE, GODS, NO, IT'S LOUD ENOUGH! JUST TURN IT DOWN BEFORE MY EARDRUMS-" Jace stopped, realizing the horrific rumble of the music had been replaced by only the painful ringing in his ears. It seemed the man had been looking for the power button and not the volume to further test the ear-shattering capabilities of the speakers. "Oh!"

"Sorry about that. I finally moved these puppies in here and I just couldn't help but break them in." The man apologized, his voice booming and low- like how some sort of super hero would talk. "How was it? Aren't they powerful? I had to fight my way into being allowed to even bring them here- they said the noise would be much too distracting."

"I don't think distracting is the right word..." Jace muttered, which got him rumbling laughter in response, followed by a firm pat on the back that actually hurt and left behind a lingering sting. It was a friendly gesture, but one of someone who didn't realize their body was made up of nothing but muscle.

"I'm guessing you're my roommate, eh?" He asked. "Sorry about your boxes, I needed to move this haus out of the hall before people complained." He patted the gigantic noise-making machine gentler than he patted Jace on the back. Somehow it seemed incredibly unfair to Jace, who was sure he was now sporting a bruise.

"It's alright, they're mostly full of clothes and books." Jace shrugged, holding out his hand for his new acquaintance to shake in greeting. "My name's Jace Bele-!" Before he had a chance to finish, his new roommate grabbed him by the hand that made Jace fear his bones would shatter, and gave it a nice, firm shake that felt like he was trying to jerk his arm right out of his socket. Again, there was really no malice behind it all, he legitimately had no idea he was hurting him judging by the smile on his bearded face. "...Beleren." He finished in a pained rasp.

"Name's Gideon Jura!" His roommate grinned, not noticing or not caring about Jace's discomfort. Maybe he was just used to people acting this way around him, and presumed it to be normal. "You like football?"

Before Jace could answer, someone slammed open the door that had eased itself shut, an audible crack coming from either the wall or the wood of the door as the two of them collided. Both Jace and Gideon turned to find someone standing in the doorway, lowing their foot they'd used to kick the door open. It was someone the both of them recognized, though their reaction to the presence of the newcomer were polar opposites.

"I was wondering when you were going to come by, Chandra." Gideon smiled, not caring in the slightest that she'd potentially damaged something by bursting in the way she'd done and that she looked incredibly annoyed.

"I called you like fifty times, you giant caveman." Chandra grumbled. "I thought at first you were just ignoring me, but it just turns out you were attempting to make everyone in his building go deaf."

"What's the point of buying speakers this awesome and not using them to their full potential?" Gideon asked, but it was clear Chandra wasn't going to respond, or even heard him. Her gaze was fixed on Jace now, the familiar look of fury she'd worn last they'd seen one another on her face. Her lips were tugged at the edges in a violent frown as her eyes glowed faintly, like embers.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She growled.

"This is my dorm room, sorry if that's an inconvenience to you." Jace said, not actually sounding sorry at all. "Speaking of inconveniences, how's that break-out treating you? Scrubbing at it that much can't be a good thing."

"Look here, asshole-!" Chandra began, taking several threatening steps into the room before Gideon stepped between them. He wore an expression that looked both concerned and oblivious to the fact that a fight was potentially about to break out between them.

"I take it you two have already met, then?" He asked, looking to Chandra and then to Jace.

"Yes." The both of them spoke in unison- Jace in exhaustion and Chandra in boiling annoyance.

"He invaded my mind!" Chandra followed up with saying.

"What?" Gideon looked to Jace confusedly, half understanding and half having no idea what Chandra even meant by what she had said.

"She stole my wallet." Jace retorted, peering around Gideon to gaze over tauntingly at Chandra. "It was only fair."

"Look, look, I don't care who invaded who's wallet or who stole who's mind or... whatever the hell you two are getting at." Gideon sighed, being exposed to the argument out of context clearly confusing him. He reached out and rested his hands on both their shoulders warmly. "Let's just put the past behind us and go get some pie."

"Pie again, Gideon?" Chandra asked, her words a weary groan. "Don't you ever get tired of pie?"

"How about when I start getting tired of breathing?" Gideon joked, letting the two of them go and heading for the door. "What about you, Jace? You like pie?"

"Um... yes?"

"See? No reason to hate a man who likes his pie." Gideon laughed, ruffling Chandra's hair as he passed her. "So let's settle our differences over a slice."

"You act like all the worlds problems can be solved with pie." Changra muttered, throwing Jace a warning glower before following after their muscly companion. Jace followed suit, staying a ways away from the still-bitter girl.

"So what strings had to be pulled to get that monstrous sound system into the dorms?" Chandra asked as they made their way down to the lobby. "There's no way they just let you waltz in with ten tons of speakers."

"Do you even need to ask?" Gideon grinned slyly. "After I did all that work for Boros over the summer, they managed to convince a few people for me. After they ran me ragged looking for all those delinquent spellcasters vandalizing the school, I used the reward money they gave me to buy the speakers, and they got them into the school." He nonchalantly folded his arms behind his head, acting like it was no big deal while Chandra grew rigid.

"Y-You're apart of a guild?" Jace asked, picking up his pace so he was walking on the opposite side of Gideon.

"Yeah, he is." Chandra answered for him, the sharpness in her voice finally directed at Gideon instead of him. "You know one of these days they're going to get you into some really deep shit, you know? Especially Boros- they're always toeing the line between what is and isn't proper punishment."

"Chandra, I've told you a million times that when I joined they promised they wouldn't have me do anything dangerous." Gideon sighed as the three of them left the building. The sun was starting to set, setting the campus ablaze in hues of pink and orange. "And they're the guild that would allow me to do the most good for this school. Azorius and Orzhov are way too passive in their disciplinary methods, and I'm not smart enough to join Izzet and Simic. And the rest of them... eh..."

"And I've told you a million times why even join a guild at all? You're on the football team, and on a sports scholarship- one of these days you're going to get really hurt beating up delinquents for Boros and everything you've worked for is going to be in the toilet!" Chandra snapped back.

"I'll be careful, Chandra, you don't have to worry about me." Gideon laughed, as if her concern for his safety was adorable.

"That's the thing, I do, though..." Chandra mumbled, her lips in a frustrated pout as the three of them began to walk into town. The campus was close enough to everything else that there was no point in taking a car.

"What about you, Jace? I'm sure you've heard about guilds by now." Gideon looked to Jace, who jumped, not having expected to be acknowledged at that point once the other two started arguing. "Are you interested? The perks are really great, and you get a little bit of compensation for carrying out jobs. And don't listen to anything Chandra says, she's just doesn't really trust guilds anymore, that's all. Her's was a special case, it doesn't happen all the time."

"What doesn't-?" Jace began to ask before Chandra cut him off, eyeing him with a glare that nearly paralyzed him.

"It's none of your business, newbie." She snarled, her eyes aglow. "You can go ahead and join one of those stupid guilds if you want, but don't come crying to us if it doesn't go your way, or if they make you do something to people who trust you- that goes double for you, Gideon!"

"I know, Chandra. You've warned me ever since... you know." Gideon shrugged, patting her on the head. "When things start getting bad, I promise, I'll find a way out."

"Yeah, you'd better." She mumbled through her pout.

"So... How long have you two been going out?" Jace dared to ask, immediately getting backlash as both Gideon and Chandra looked to him, bug-eyed and open mouthed. Gideon was all stammers and stutters, trying and failing to find words, but Chandra was quick to find her own, and voiced them loudly.

"Me? Date this big lug here? No way in hell!" She exclaimed, her cheeks as red as her eyes had been glowing. "We've grown up alongside one another since we were little kids, if we were to start dating it would be really awkward- like dating a sibling! Right, Gideon?"

"R-Right!" Gideon finally managed, nodding in a jerky fashion as he looked forward with a nervous look in his eyes. Jace didn't have to read any minds to know what was going on and how Gideon felt- though it was no place of his to play wing man seeing as he'd just met him and Chandra would probably shoot down anything instigated by Jace. He certainly felt sorry for Gideon, but in the end it seemed he'd have to crawl his way out of the clutches of the friend zone on his own.

"Well, enough about us, Jace, what about you? I'm pretty sure I've never seen you around here before, so you must be new." Gideon began to pry, urgently changing the subject. "They hardly ever transfer people from one magic-folk school to another, so you must have been attending a norm school, right?"

"Yeah. Up until last year I was going to school with regular humans." Jace explained, his gaze traveling to the ground. Now it was his turn to try and dance around a topic he didn't want to talk about.

"Wow, even I have to admit that's pretty impressive. Not a lot of magic-folk can blend in with norms that long." Chandra said, sounding the slightest bit interested now. "How'd they finally catch you?"

"It's... really a long story. The wounds are still fresh, so I think it's best not to pick at them, you know?" Jace muttered, feeling a small lump begin to develop in his throat. "I'll explain some other time, when it doesn't bother me as much.. You've got your secrets... I've got mine."

"Guess we all have our own little stories we don't feel like dredging up." Gideon sighed. "We've got a lot more in common than we thought, huh?"

"What? Don't lump me together with mister privacy-invader here!" Chandra snarled. "Everyone has a story- doesn't make us any more alike." She turned up her nose and wrinkled it, crossing her arms in defiance.

"Don't mind her, she doesn't hold grudges for long, I promise." Gideon assured Jace. "Chandra's a really big softy once you get to know her!"

"Oi, don't talk about me like I'm not right here, ass!" Chandra exclaimed, whapping him across his muscular arm. "Don't go telling him those sorts of things, too- you're giving him ideas!"

The three of them continued into town, Jace trying to learn about Chandra and Gideon and them trying to learn about him, constantly running into road blocks of things they still weren't comfortable talking about. The town nearest the campus was small and tight-knit, mostly made up of people who had attended the academy before and had chosen not to move away. The entire community was made up mostly of magic-folk, so it wasn't uncommon to see all manner of creatures going about their routine aside from humans. Jace couldn't help but look about in amazement as they walked to the diner that Gideon continued to praise for their pies. The place he'd grown up wasn't devoid of magical creatures or mages, but they were few and far between and even if they were around they more often than not kept a low profile and even went as far as to disguise themselves. Just like Jace himself had done. Being in a place where no one seemed to care about that sort of thing was refreshing and almost alien to him.

"I promise, you'll get super addicted to this place!" Gideon assured him as the three of them were shown to a booth at the diner. "I'll even pay for your first slice of pie- but only your first slice. You're on your own after that."

"I'm honestly surprised Gideon isn't fat after all the pie he practically inhales." Chandra teased, opening a menu. Her and Gideon began to talk amongst themselves, mostly involving Chandra poking him in the stomach, warning him about his weight. Jace, however, stared down at his own menu, occupied by his own thoughts.

"Hey..." Jace spoke up, waiting for both Chandra and Gideon to look up from the dessert section of the menu. "...Do either of you know a Liliana Vess?"

"I honestly wish we didn't." Chandra's words were so angry and acidic they sent a chill down Jace's spine. She glared down at the table, sparks in her eyes growing as her body tensed up. Gideon rested a worried hand on her shoulder, but it didn't calm her down one bit. "I wish I never even met her!"

"What... what happened?" Jace asked, unable to hide the shocked look on his face. "Liliana... she isn't that bad a person, is she?"

"She's a two-faced bitch is what she is! I don't know what you heard or how you know her, but I suggest you stay well away from her. I should have..." Chandra bit her lip, her voice wavering a bit as she spoke.

"Chandra..." Gideon uttered before she shrugged away and began to clumsily slide her way out of the booth. "Chandra!"

"I'm not going anywhere, I just need to breath or else I'm going to burn down your favorite diner." Chandra groaned. "You can order for me."

"I-I'm sorry!" Jace apologized as Chandra swiftly walked out, head hung low and hands balled into fists.

"Hey, it's alright, you wouldn't have known. You just got here, so you probably haven't heard about what happened... not just between Liliana and Chandra, but most of the campus. I'm trying to stay neutral about it myself, but I gotta say, what she did wasn't the smartest thing." Gideon sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he relaxed back into his seat.

"What did Liliana do?" Jace dared to ask.

"Well, we were honestly friends with her up until the middle of last year." Gideon began. "I met her through Boros, and we sort of hit it off pretty well. We all did."

"So she's apart of Boros, too?"

"Not exactly. Liliana's what we call a free agent- she does stuff for all the guilds that they don't want to dirty their hands in. When a guild needs to get something done, but doesn't want to lose face, they reach out to free agents." Gideon paused as a waitress- a young Leonin girl – approached them, bringing a few glasses of water and taking their order (Jace let Gideon order for him, trusting his taste in pie).

"Anyway, it all sort of stemmed from Chandra's brother, who was dabbling in really powerful magics- magics that students shouldn't be practicing. He told us about it all in confidence that he was attempting to learn by a lot of means that were against school rules." Gideon continued, pausing again to nervously stir his own water with a straw. He was clearly holding back the fact he himself was just as frustrated as Chandra. Jace could see it in his eyes, and feel it drifting off the very surface of his mind- like smoke from a fire.

"Chandra's brother, aside from that, was a really respected student- one of the big names on campus and everyone looked up to him, especially Chandra, and he brought a lot of good press to the school. So, when Azorius caught wind about what he was doing, they chose not to do anything about it themselves, lest they incur the wrath of the entire student body. Instead, they turned to Liliana, first asking her if what they believed was true and then for her to do something about it." Gideon grunted, clearly bothered. "She told them everything without even a single bit of resistance, and exposed him. Even though we trusted her- he trusted her.

"He was expelled soon after that, and we haven't seen him since. Chandra contacted her parents about it, but it sounds like he hasn't even returned home. She even wanted to drop out and search for him on her own, but luckily I was able to convince her not to. But nothing would convince her to forgive Liliana for what she did... I even have a hard time doing it myself."

"Why would she... do something like that?" Jace asked, dumbfounded.

"Who knows. Maybe they had some dirt on her, or maybe she was just using us. She never bothered explaining herself when it was all said and done. She hasn't even apologized. All we know is that she did it, and took the fall for Azorius and took the blame for getting Ravnica Academy's best student expelled. She's been catching a lot of shit because of it, and we watched her become an outcast. But she didn't seem to care, or else she would have tried to say sorry. Maybe if she did, we'd be able to patch things up and become friends again. But that's up to Liliana, not us."

Before Gideon could continue, or Jace could continue to pry, the former lifted his head in greeting, wiping away the troubled look on his face as Chandra re-emerged from outside.

"I ordered you a pecan pie." He told her as she sat down. The tips of her hair and edges of her clothes looked a bit singed. She sighed heavily, taking the water set out for her and gulping down almost the entire glass before taking in and chewing on a mouthful of ice cubes. "...You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, of course I am..." Chandra muttered after swallowing the crushed ice cubes. She turned her attention to Jace, giving him a warning glare.

"My advice? Stay away from guilds and stay away from Vess. Both are nothing but trouble." She told him sternly. "Both will screw you over in the end."

"...If you say so." Jace agreed, glad he was the only one who could read minds. He still had every intention of approaching Liliana, remembering what Emmara had told him. Liliana, according to her, would never do anything for the sake of being cruel. He'd have to get to the bottom of things before he passed any judgment.


	4. Is this seat taken?

"Gideon... Gideon I know you're awake." Jace sighed, arms crossed impatiently as he looked at the large mass under the sheets of his friends bed. A groan was all that answered him as the large, stubborn mass sluggishly moved about, but made no move to actually depart from the bed. "You're going to make us late."

"What are you talking about? It's still summer, dammit, let me sleep!" Gideon moaned, voice muffled by his pile of sheets he was still huddled under. Jace rolled his eyes, grabbing at the pile of sheets and trying to yank them off of his friend, but to no avail. He had them in a tight, desperate death-grip that not even Armageddon would loosen.

"Pretending it's not a school day isn't going to make it true..." Jace groaned, stumbling back and looking to his backpack. He'd been ready half an hour ago, and now he had ten minutes to run across campus and find his first class- all for the sake of trying to force Gideon out of his impenetrable blanket fortress. He was half a step away by just taking the reigns of his mind and forcing him to go.

"Gideon, please don't make me give you a countdown- I'm not your mom." He muttered seconds before the door to their room flew open, slamming into the familiar place against the wall. It happened so often now that Jace didn't even jump- just shuddered at the thought of the damage being done to the door and the wall.

"Gods, are you two still here!?"

"No thanks to Gideon." Jace mumbled under his breath as Chandra came barging in. Despite the fact it was a school day she was still dressed like she was deciding whether she wanted to just lie around all day or go back to bed- her hair looking half done and clothes that looked like they belonged to someone a few sizes larger than her and also a man. Today's outfit consisted of a baggy jersey of a team Jace had never heard of, jean shorts that cut off right below her knee and skater shoes that had probably seen better days. That being said, she somehow managed to pull the look off in an oddball sort of way.

"Look, you probably shouldn't be late to your first day at school, so you just take your books and go. I'll drag this lazy bum out of bed." Chandra commanded, shouldering Jace out of the way before she started roughly pushing against Gideon. She'd most likely dislodge the mattress from the frame at that rate, but it would get the job done either way. "You're going to catch a lot of shit if your late."

"Are you sure-"

"I can magically set things of fire, Jace. I'm pretty sure that's good incentive to get him out of bed, so we won't be too far behind." Chandra assured him, seeming rather bothered by the fact he had to be assured at all. "So move your ass before I move it for you!"

"Alright, alright, I'm leaving!" Jace said as he turned, picked up his book bag and headed out the door into the hall- just as he heard Gideon shout in pain from any number of things Chandra could have possibly done that he didn't want to even think about. In a few steps he picked up his pace into a brisk jog, and by the time he was out of the dormitory building he broke out into a straight run. Hardly anyone else was walking to school by now, so at the very least there was no one around to witness him frantically speed towards the school building.

Panting and struggling to make it look like he hadn't run there at full speed, Jace managed to make it there before the bell- long enough for him to catch his breath, fix himself up and find the nearest person who knew the school layout much better than him. With the halls now completely crowded with people wondering and thinking and looking for their own classrooms, it hardly took any time at all for Jace to latch onto a thought and make his way through the halls as if he'd wandered them for years (just like the person of whom he'd used the thought of probably was). It was easy and seamless, and whoever it was probably didn't even pay the feeling of their thoughts being grasped any mind, but that was only the first time. Jace's power wasn't something he used conservatively.

Maybe he'd simply gotten into the habit of just mind-reading his way into getting directions and grades and sometimes even dates. He'd become reliant on it, even if he was sure he could do all of those things on his own (well, maybe not the last one, given his track record of having passable people skills). Without even a second thought, he did it in his first class, his second, his third- he knew reading lists before they were assigned, about quizzes to assess how much they knew before they were passed out, and names before anyone had even introduced themselves. And all those years of doing it, even all these people who could use their own magics and could probably pick up on when someone used their own probably only passed off Jace's mind-snooping as an itch or a breeze.

It took a toll on Jace more than it did any of them, though. The one downside to the habit he couldn't break was the insufferable headaches. The more he allowed his mind to wander to prey on the thoughts and memories of others, the more splitting they would become- but not even they could stop him. Using the thoughts of other people to get by was now a major part of how he functioned, and now, so were dealing with debilitating headaches.

Lunch couldn't have come soon enough. He could have possibly searched for Gideon and Chandra, or for the Lunchroom or quite possibly the infirmary, but his head hurt so much, he could only wildly reach for one thought and hope it took him somewhere where he wouldn't be bothered to read the minds of anyone. Luckily for him, he just so happened to pry the location of the school's library from the mind of a passerby. He could go without eating- the headache had gotten so bad that it took precedence over feeling the slightest bit of hunger anyway.

A large portion of the school building had been devoted to the library, it seemed. The main entry way opened up to as domed, glass ceiling, shedding soft, natural light down onto the ground and books that lined the walls. In fact, there were books everywhere- a lot more old and tattered than new. And one thing was for sure- it was calm, quiet, and hardly anyone was there. Everyone who was were simply devoting themselves to quietly reading or working, and Jace could hardly care about what.

What he did care about was what he saw near the far reaches of the main room, and in an instant, he forgot all about his headache.

There was a gathering of round tables situated to one side of the room, where the light from the sun drifting in from the windows above hardly managed to reach. There were a few groups of students, huddled around their books and silently whispering to one another, but they all had arranged themselves on the very outer tables that made up the cluster. Only one of the tables nearest the center was occupied, and only by one person, her nose buried in her book and a medium-sized black canteen by her side.

"Liliana?" Jace spoke softly, but it was quiet enough in the library that everyone managed to hear. Even though they hadn't been called, everyone was quick to look up from their books and papers and laptops and stare at him- no, glare at him. A simple, regular gaze wouldn't sting this bad or make him feel this uncomfortable and unwelcome. They followed him with every little step, and Jace could feel them there. But, despite that, he forced himself to move toward the one person who hardn't reacted to his speaking: the owner of the name. She simply continued reading, chin rested in an upturned palm as she casually flipped through the pages of her book- like she had no care in the world.

She was dressed a little more conservatively this time, though blacks and deep, dark purples were still a theme that made up her wardrobe. She wore a black tee-shirt with sleeves that covered her arms, but were sheer enough that Jace could see every inch of skin beneath them. The shirt itself was just a bit too small and a small portion of her midriff peeped through- a pale stripe across her otherwise dark clothing.

Jace cleared his throat nervously, but Liliana only responded by turning a page in her book, as if he still had yet to exist.

"L-Liliana?" He repeated, trying his hardest to ignore the feeling of eyes still marring his back. Finally she looked up, her look of indifference shifting into a softer, welcoming one.

"Well, if it isn't Bace Jeleren." She spoke jokingly, her lips curling upwards in a smirk.

"I-It's Jace-"

"I'm just joking with you, I know your name." She rolled her eyes before returning to gazing down at her book. "First day treating you alright."

"Yeah, I'm just taking a break in here." Jace chuckled weakly, trying to ignore everyone else around him. He didn't want to, but out of habit he opened his mind up just enough to listen to their outermost thoughts. None of them were good, and they were all directed at him and Liliana. "...Homework?" He motioned to her reading material. Without even looking up she held it up for him to see: a book of necromancy and other forms of black magic.

"Personal interest." She responded simply. "It's interesting, but I'm not learning anything new."

"Necromancy, huh?" Jace questioned, trying to force plesantries and not seem at all bothered. Their thoughts were getting worse- louder, angrier. They had no idea who he was, but they certainly weren't fans of him. "Is that... something you practice?"

"Is masochism something of yours?" She responded coldly, closing her book and reaching over to cap her canteen. She stood swiftly, pushing back her chair with a loud screech.

"W-what?"

"You've hardly been here a week, but I really doubt, given the people you associate yourself with, that you haven't heard about me by now." Liliana grumbled, tucking her canteen into her bag that she slung over her shoulder before pressing her book to her person like a security blanket. "I can tell by your face that your forcing yourself, and let me tell you right now that you can just stop. I don't need you to hang around and be nice to me because you think I'm pretty- or whatever. I really don't need anyone, so could you not..." She paused, taking a deep breath and holding it for several, painful seconds.

"Don't sacrifice your social life just so you can try and score." She muttered.

"But I'm not-!" Jace began to defend himself before she rudely pushed passed him, her shoulder knocking against his arm as she bulldozed her way by him and toward the exit. The cruel, angry eyes that had been digging into Jace followed her all the way out before settling back on their books.

Jace groaned in pain, holding his head in his hand.

The headache had returned much worse than before.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Jace, dear, I should have warned you a little more." Emmara signed heavily, easing into the chair next to her desk in the infirmary. She looked down at her teacup guiltily, steam rising up and brushing against her face. "Liliana... isn't the easiest person to get close to, especially now."

"I noticed." Jace responded bitterly, knocking back a second pain pill and washing it down with his own cup of tea. When he'd arrived, stumbling through the door with a headache that was practically blinding him, Emmara had an entire pot freshly made, as if she had been waiting for someone to stop by. Part of him had hoped it had been Liliana, and he'd be able to straighten things out with her, but the lunch period had come and gone, and no one else had joined them. "She pretty much turned me down almost right away."

"It has nothing to do with you personally, I promise, so I really must implore you not to take offense..." Emmara pleaded, looking up at Jace. "What happened to her sort of has caused her to form the habit of keeping _anyone _at a distance."

"Why didn't you tell me before- about what happened last year with her and Chandra's brother?" Jace asked, trying and failing not to don a sharp tone as he spoke. Emmara shrunk back, her shoulders hunched.

"I figured you'd find out on your own... and I feared my own account of things would lead me to share things with you that Liliana would rather I not talk about. She has her own secrets, and it's not my right to tell them." Emmara explained herself. "Azorius simply made her an offer she couldn't refuse, and unfortunately it came at the cost of betraying the trust of her friends."

"What sort of offer would make someone do that?" Jace inquired, staring Emmara down. It took every inch of his own will not to simply dig into her mind and find out himself.

"Like I told you before, Liliana has a lot of... debts. I'll admit, she was a fool to get in as deep as she is now in the first place, but what's done is done and at least she knows now that she did wrong and is trying to free herself." Emmara paused, taking a quick sip of her tea. "It all just comes down to her not being able to make good choices. I'm the only one who she's confided in about her problem, so maybe that's why. Maybe she just needs someone else who she can open up to who could help her."

"Why not you? Why couldn't you help her!?" Jace found himself snapping.

"It's not that simple!" Much to both their surprises, Emmara snapped back. Apologetically, she drew away, lowering her voice substantially and averting her gaze in shame. "I'm a part of a guild myself, Jace. As a member of Selesnya, I can't interfere with the actions taken by the other guilds unless I'm ordered to. Azorius' dealings with Chandra's brother were something I detested, but there was nothing I could do to stop them- both from taking action and using Liliana to get what they wanted. It was out of my jurisdiction, despite my being her friend. If I were to speak out against their methods, or try to sway Liliana to reconsider, I would have been punished."

"So even staff members like you can be guild members?" Jace questioned, cocking an eyebrow.

"I was a member of Selesnya when I was a student here, and when I graduated they got me a job working as the school nurse under the condition that I remain aligned with them." Emmara said, sounding exhausted and heaved a sigh that dissipated the steam rising from her cup. "If you're an important enough member to a guild, they'll do anything in their power to keep you. And let's face it, it's pretty hard for elves to get jobs anywhere outside of Ravnica. I hardly had a choice, and they ensure I'm paid well." She shook her head, a single, sad chuckle escaping her lips.

"Look, what I'm getting at is that Liliana needs someone who isn't associated with the guilds and their nonsense. She needs someone who can stop her from making stupid decisions, and someone who's willing to." She continued. "I'm sorry... Maybe I'm asking too much of you."

"No, you're not. I just wasn't prepared for what happened, that's all." Jace shook his head. "I'm sorry for getting angry."

"And I'm sorry for needing to ask this, but... I need you to really consider what your feelings for Liliana are." Emmara spoke, her face now stone-cold serious. "I've lived long enough to know that love at first sight isn't just stuff of fairy tales, but that it's rare and easily confused with other feelings- lust and longing. I need you to think on your feelings before approaching Liliana again."

"R-Right..." Jace slowly nodded, looking down to his reflection in the brown-tinted liquid in his cup.

"If it's really love you feel, then it will be as they say..." Emmara said wisely, lifting her tea cup to her lips. "Love conquers all."

* * *

After the general hustle and bustle of returning back to the dorms, the small talk about what had happened that day, Gideon sharing the burn marks he'd earned that morning from Chandra, dinner in the dorm dining hall, having to struggle through Gideon testing out his speakers again and a long discussion about mermaids that got a little too intimate for Jace's liking, _finally_ there was a moment of peace. Jace sat at his desk, looking over homework he'd miraculously been assigned on the first day and Gideon lay on his bed, text book he'd been reading now just lying uselessly over his face. Chances were he was asleep and had hardly read the first few pages. It didn't matter to Jace, though, since now he finally had time to actually think.

"How do I feel about Liliana?" He thought to himself, biting on the eraser of his pencil. He remembered how his stomach flipped when he first saw her, how his heart raced like he'd just run for miles, and how he'd lost all ability to form words when they came so easily to him. She'd been beautiful, yes, and she had put on a teasing display (albeit at his expense), and at first, he worried he had simply succumbed to some sort of shallow attraction. For a good, long hour he doubted himself- panicked that the first time he felt love for someone might not have even been love at all.

But, thinking back, when he first saw her, sitting up in the infirmary bed, hair tussled and eyes half open, her appearance had been merely a secondary thought- a louder thought, but not the first thing on his mind. It had simply been that she was there. There sat someone that Jace never thought would ever exist. She could have been anyone- looked like anything. She just happened to be Liliana. She'd triggered something deep inside of him- a longing to be close to her, to speak to her and to hear her speak back.

It only occurred to him then that he couldn't hear her thoughts. In the infirmary and especially in the library, when he's read every thought of every person in the room but hers. On the inside, she'd been completely quiet- her only thoughts matching the words she spoke. There was no doubt, no suspicion. She was the silence he'd wished for, for a very long time.

"Gideon..." Jace called over his shoulder. He only got a snore in return, so he turned around to face his roommate and called his name again, a bit louder this time. "Gideon!"

"I'm up, I'm up! Just don't burn me again!" Gideon shouted, sitting up as the textbook that had rested on his face flew through the air. He took a quick, sharp breath before he realized it was Jace who had roused him from slumber, and Chandra wasn't scalding his backside to get him out of bed. "Oh, it's just you, Jace."

"Hey... you like Chandra, right?" Jace pried. The calm on Gideon's face escalated to that of panic again as his eyes bugged out.

"Wh- Jace! I..." He stammered, eyes looking in all directions as he feebly searched for words. "That's... why are you-!?"

"I can kind of read minds, Gideon, so even if it wasn't completely obvious I'd be able to find out." Jace sighed. "The very first time I asked if you two were dating, you looked like she'd kicked you in the ribs."

"You..." Gideon muttered, looking a combination of angry, embarrassed and defeated. "...This better not leave the dorm room, understand?"

"So you _do_ like her?" Jace raised and eyebrow and allowed himself to victoriously grin.

"So what if I do? Is that a problem?" Gideon mumbled. "I've gotten to know her since she was little- know her better than anyone else. I don't think I'd be able to be as close to another person as I am with her. So yeah, I do!" As he spoke, he began to grow more and more defensive.

"And you'd feel this way no matter what?" Jace continued to ask. "I mean, even if everyone was against her, you'd still feel that way about her? Would you still stay with her?"

"Of course, what kind of dumb question is that?" Gideon grunted. "Unless this is your way of trying to tell me you like her, too, in which case I think we might have to fight to the death."

"No, no, nothing like that." Jace assured him, not sure if the larger of the two of them was kidding or not. "I was just checking something."

"...Checking _what_?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it." Jace said, turning back around to hide his smile. "Just go back to sleep, Gideon."

* * *

Harsh whispers and quiet jeers permeated the silence of the library. Liliana didn't have to even look up from her book to know who had just arrived. Instead she continued to read, keeping her eyes on the words printed in the aged tome in her hands as she spoke.

"Like I told you yesterday..." She heavily sighed, glaring back at the pages as if they were the intruder himself.

"I'm not leaving." The sternness in his voice surprised her as she finally bothered to look up from her book. There was Jace Beleren, a few of his own books in hand, clearly there for the long haul. More so than that, he didn't seem to care about the whispers and glares being aimed at his back like he had the day before. He seemed awfully determined- even if it was over something as simple as sitting and reading with her. And if it was one thing Liliana respected, it was determination.

"Fine, sit down then instead of just looming over me like that." She told him, trying very, very hard not to smile as she turned back to her book, but kept Jace in her peripheral. Him simply sitting beside her without looking like he was forcing herself made her feel something inside she hadn't felt in what seemed like an eternity.

Just having him sit beside her made Liliana incredibly happy.


	5. The Dragon's Plot

The domed chamber of the library was dead silent, hardly any light shining down into the vacant room aside from the faint moonlight. Stray, blue-white rays drifted down from the windows above, casting just enough light where only the objects nearest the center of the room were just barely visible. Night had fallen, drenching the library in darkness and peace.

The doors of the library unceremoniously opening rang through the large room suddenly, breaking the silence that had consumed the room completely, followed by loud, purposeful footsteps as someone walked through the now open doorway. The sharp jangle of chains accompanied them- a large amount of them and other metallic accessories adorning whoever it was who had just trespassed into the room. The magical lock had been easy to remove- but then again, no one really ever expected anyone to be either smart or stupid enough to sneak into the school in the middle of the night. No trap or alarm had been triggered, so it seemed the intruder was of the former.

Walking into the pale beam of moonlight that graced the room, the trespasser revealed themselves to be a girl- though in the most loosest of terms. It would take any person a good, long few seconds to tell, mostly due to her wardrobe. Half her hair had been allowed to grow while the opposing side had been completely cropped, the stubble that remained shaved and shaped to form what looked like a ball of fire streaking across the side of her head. Had it not been for her skirt and hopelessly ripped tights clinging desperately to her legs, it would have been nigh impossible to tell if she really was a girl, buried under worn leather, spikes and chains. Every possible part of her body that could be pierced was, and despite her lack of eagerness to even exude an inch of femininity, she still was more than happy to don plenty of other jewelery- albeit a wide majority of it was gender neutral. She seemed the type who would both start and finish fights.

Looking around the room with a gaze that bordered on disgust, she heaved a sigh heavily through her nose, sticking her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket and impatiently tapped her heavy boot against the ground in impatience. She had successfully managed to get into the school, but that didn't exactly calm her nerves, and every second she spent standing in the library alone was a second she could potentially be caught. It was much too soon to get thrown out of school now.

A darkness suddenly falling over the library, strangely enough, calmed her. The flapping of wings shook the entire building, followed by a rumbling that mimicked the sound and feel of a devastating earthquake. A few dozen books were shaken free from there shelves and, in the darkness, something made of glass fell from where it had been sitting and shattered. But the girl hardly moved a muscle aside from closing her eyes and chuckling as the sound died down and the moonbeams were once again allowed to shine through the windows.

"You really know how to make an entrance, don't you?" She asked, her voice deep and husky. "Took your sweet time getting here."

"I'd watch that tone of yours, Baltrice, or else I'll personally reach down your throat and claw out your voice box." A threatening- and much to the girls surprise, feminine- voice hissed. "The magics that cloak this place aren't impossible to break through, but getting passed it all is incredibly time consuming."

From the shadows that cloaked the library, a woman looking somewhere in her late twenties glided, wearing a long, black dress that flowed down the the floor, a slit running up to her thigh exposing one of her long, slender legs. Everything about her seemed human save for her eyes. They looked like they belonged to a much more devilish, inhuman creature.

"I-I'm sorry..." Baltrice muttered, looking both frightened as well as confused as she took several steps backward despite how many steps there already were between her and the woman. She bowed slightly, focusing on everything but the woman's eyes. The woman chuckled darkly, her fingers pressed to her lips painted a vivid shade of red.

"Something the matter, Baltrice?" She asked, sounding amused. "You look a little more bothered than usual."

"My apologies... I just wasn't expecting you to take any other form than your usual one..." She mumbled. The woman laughed again, a little louder this time, her shoulders shaking. It was hardly booming laughter, but it still managed to make the building sway. Baltrice had to shift around and steady herself to keep from falling over.

"I have no 'usual form' my dear. When you've lived as long as me, there is no point in keeping just one. That would be way too boring." She chuckled, flipping her long, silky black hair. "But, if this form really makes you so uncomfortable, I suppose I'll put on a more... suitable skin."

Baltrice looked away before the transformation even started, though the sickening shifting and squelching noises coming from the darkness were enough to make her stomach turn. She waited, keeping her eyes focused on her scuffed leather boots until she was completely sure the process was over. She'd seen it only once herself, and she could still taste the stinging tang of the vomit that had happened as a result. When she did finally dare to look up, an older man was standing in front of her now, the surface of his skin shifting about, forming the shape of raised scales before they laid flat against his form, vanishing completely. He wore a suit and tie and had well-groomed black hair and a finely-shaped beard across his strong jawline. He looked equal parts commanding and intimidating, and he held himself like royalty. The only thing that was the same between this form and the last were the same, bone-chilling stare.

"I personally hate donning a human form at all. I'd much rather take on a more natural form, but the magics here bind me to take on a form to look like the rest of you monkeys. That and I'd probably demolish this building if I were allowed to keep my usual shape." He sighed, shrugging in mock defeat. Baltrice remained silent, standing attentively before him.

"So... I take it all of the pieces are present?" He asked her. Baltrice nodded snappily, folding her arms behind her back and biting her lip.

"Yes, sir, the people you- I mean, pieces you mentioned are all here." She muttered. "Though... forgive me but I'm not sure why we have to take such a long, roundabout way. Isn't there a more direct, easier way to do this?"

"Now, now, Baltrice, that wouldn't be very interesting at all. That and I'm under agreement not to force the natural flow of events any more than I am. I'd rather allow the pieces to fall where they may instead of moving them around myself anyway." The man laughed, holding his hands aloft and shaking his head. "I've been waiting for this moment for millennia, but I'm a patient creature. I can spare a little more time."

"But-"

"But what, Baltrice?" He growled, the building shaking again as he spoke. "You and the others are here merely to plant the seeds and await orders, not argue. Just because you have been chosen to represent the Consortium doesn't give you any right to think you have a say in this matter. You're merely a piece just like the rest of them, and I can easily take you out of play and replace you. Pyromancers as talented as you like to think you are aren't in short supply."

"I-I'm sorry, forgive me!" Baltrice stammered, bowing deeply and squeezing her eyes shut. She was sure he probably didn't have the exact power, but she was still frightened that if she met his eyes at that moment, he'd turn her to stone. "I won't doubt you again, Nicol Bolas, sir."

"Good girl." A dominant grin spread across his lips as he approached Baltrice, who stiffened as she heard his foot falls draw closer and closer. "Continue to follow my orders without question and I promise you, when I get what is rightfully mine you will be rewarded handsomely." Once he reached her, he reached down and grasped her chin tightly and forced her to stand upright. She grunted in pain, flinching a bit before slowly opening her eyes. "I will open the minds of all my followers to the knowledge of the spark you've all lost."

"I certainly hope I'm not interrupting anything." A third voice called in an almost bored monotone from the darkness. Shifting from fearful to threatening, Baltrice tore herself away from her master's grip, sparks alighting in her eyes as brilliant red flames came to life in her hands. Nicol Bolas, on the other hand, remained still, hardly surprised by the appearance of an audience.

Standing beside one of the bookshelves was a girl about Baltrice's age, wearing nothing but a simple black shirt and pants as well as a painfully indifferent look directed at both Nicol Bolas and Baltrice's searing flames. Heavy, black makeup adorned her eyes as well as her lips, which stood out against her pale skin that was almost as white as he hair that drifted down to her back. Unlike Baltrice, she looked Nicol Bolas directly in the eyes without so much as a shiver.

"Ah, I was wondering when we were going to be joined- though I figured it would be by your meddlesome father." Nicol Bolas sneered.

"He's a little busy these days- and he trusts you won't do anything too foolish inside these walls, at least." She responded, emotionally unmoved. "I'm simply here to make sure that is the case."

"Goodness, where is the trust Avacyn?" He rolled his eyes, turning to Baltrice who still was a flick of the wrist away from throwing fireballs.

"Stand down, Baltrice, she's a player in this game, not a piece." She looked to him in surprise, and then disappointment, like she was disheartened that she wouldn't be allowed to set the library ablaze. But with a sigh her form loosened, the flames vanishing from her hands. "Good girl."

"I take it you're still very aware of the ground rules, Bolas?" Avacyn asked.

"I've been aware of them for a very long time, girl, and your father refuses to let me forget." He growled. "I am not to directly influence the flow of natural events and I am to put my faith in fate. My pieces are not to directly influence the opening of the maze or the hand of the key- I've heard it millions of times."

"Especially the key." Avacyn urged. "Only when the maze has been opened will you be able to try and sway him, but until then, Bolas, you are not to lay a single claw on Jace Beleren."

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of doing such a thing." He laughed. "Not that I'm at all required to run my plans through you or your father, but I do need that boy in one piece until the very end."

* * *

"Hey, Jace!" Gideon's voice easily climbed over the din of the rest of the crowd, but where Jace was going he didn't feel all that inclined to stop. Gideon had begun to wonder where it was Jace would vanish off to during lunch period, and, it seemed, vague replies hadn't been enough to indulge his curiosity. "Jace, seriously, wait up a second!"

"Sorry, I'm in a bit of a hurry, so-" Jace began as he finally gave in and stopped, turning around to meet his friend as he pushed his way through the swarm of bodies over to him.

"Look, I'm really sorry if I really shouldn't be prying but... people talk and I can't help but listen." Gideon began, looking a bit uncomfortable and guilty. Jace quietly sighed and narrowed his eyes, awaiting the inevitable and trying to build a response that wasn't barbed and defensive. "You... and Liliana..."

"Gods, Gideon, really? I know you aren't her biggest fan, but I at least figured you'd keep an open mind and not confront me about it like I'm doing something wrong." Jace groaned. "Who I associate myself with is really none of your business."

"I know, I know, I'm just warning you. If you want to save face here, you really should consider who you-"

"Have you even spoken to Liliana since the incident?" Jace interrupted sharply.

"Well, no..." Gideon mumbled hesitantly. "But, to that end, she hasn't made much of an attempt to get in contact with us, either."

"Maybe if Chandra didn't act like she would burn her to a crisp if she tried things would be a little different!" Jace snapped before taking a deep breath and holding up his hands in surrender. "Look, I'm sorry, I really don't want this come to us getting frustrated with one another. Just... let me talk to who I want. I don't question how you run your personal life, so trust me to run mine."

"Alright, fine, I just hope you know what you're getting into." Gideon spoke warningly.

"What I'm getting into?" Jace glared, but before he could continue, someone stepped between them, ruining Jace's train of thought.

"Sorry to interrupt your lover's spat, ladies, but I have a little guild business that needs some taking care of." It was another boy- a student, judging by his looks. He had black, slicked-back hair highlighted by chunks of white. His form of dress was nothing unusual, though it bordered on the formal side, as if he were in a place of business instead of one of learning: a blue, short-sleeved dress shirt under a dark-crimson vest with gold trim and black dress pants. He wore a pair of red headphones around his neck and looked at the two of them as if he were their superior.

"Look, Ral, I'm kind of a little busy, so could you kindly-" Gideon began, sounding a mixture of forcibly polite and annoyed.

"Don't be so full of yourself, Jura, I could care less about you right now." The boy chuckled, turning his gaze to Jace, who wasn't sure why, but something about this newcomer rubbed him the wrong way. "I'm actually here to see your mind mage buddy."

"Me?" Jace questioned, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Yes, you. Who else could I possibly be talking about- the other mind reader standing around here?" The boy spoke sarcastically. "My name is Ral Zarek, and I'm here representing the Izzet Guild. Your presence has been requested by our guild leader, Niv-Mizzet."

"Right..." Jace spoke slowly, looking back and fourth as if he were looking for an exit. All of these random encounters were keeping Liliana waiting. "Look, can this wait? I've really got somewhere I need to be right now, so-"

"I'd think before I finished that sentence if I were you." Ral warned. "It's a bit unwise to turn down an invitation from any guild, especially Izzet. If you were smart, you'd put whatever personal bullshit you have on hold and come with me- make things a whole lot easier for the both of us." Jace couldn't help but gulp nervously. The way Ral spoke sounded like a threat- a real, serious threat.

"This... isn't going to take long, is it?" He questioned, trying his hardest not to seem the least bit intimidated.

"Not if you don't make things difficult." He assured him. "Now are you coming, or are you coming?"

Jace looked to Gideon for a short moment, the two of them sharing worried looks before he turned back to Ral, who looked back at him expectantly.

"Fine, if it's really so urgent. And it sounds like I don't even really have a choice in the matter." He said defeatedly.

"Well now, look who's starting to get it." Ral said mockingly. "Come on, then, Niv-Mizzet hates to be kept waiting." Immediately he began to push his way through the crowd, though for the most part people were quick to get out of his way before he had to shoulder passed them. Jace began to follow suit, Gideon close behind, whispering over his shoulder.

"Try to be a little careful. Izzet's got a little bit of a reputation of being really sneaky." He warned.

"I'll be fine, Gideon." Jace assured him, waving dismissively. "Whatever they have to say to me, I doubt they can force me into anything binding."

* * *

The meeting room for the Izzet Guild just so happened to also be in the school's largest lab room, laughably enough. Classes were regularly held there, but for the moment the room had been completely cleared out, save for Jace, Ral and one other person waiting with their back turned to them behind the desk at the front of the class. The shutters had been drawn and the overhead lights turned off, drowning the room in darkness. A smell wafted through the air that reminded Jace of the infirmary- sterile, but also a scent of some sort of expensive tea.

"Found your mind reader, Niv-Mizzet." Ral called out to the other person present in the room. With an open palm he pushed Jace deeper into the room with a chortle that grew a bit upon watching him struggle to keep upright. Jace turned to glare at him, but then continued forward toward the front of the room as the figure turned to meet him.

It was another boy looking slightly older than Jace. He wore a red and white uniform- though Jace wasn't sure what to, seeing as the school didn't have an actual uniform let alone much of a dress code to even begin with. He had short, red hair and rimless glasses that he pushed up the bridge of his nose as he turned, a smile that seemed almost fake stretched across his lips. It was his eyes, however, that struck Jace the most. Even in the low light of the lab, they looked like no eyes he'd ever seen on a human- maybe a snake or some other sort of cold-blooded creature. He didn't want to admit it, but it made him extremely uneasy.

"Ah, you must be Jace Beleren." He said, his words smooth but also strangely sinister- like some sort of suave movie villain. "We've been looking for you."

"H-Have you now?" Jace questioned just as he was offered a beaker full of some sort of liquid. He was hesitant at first, not completely sure what it was.

"Something the matter? I promise, it isn't poison." The boy chuckled, adding, "Though I can't promise something poisonous has been in that glass before I filled it with tea" just as Jace took the glass. It was hot to the touch, so much so that Jace was forced to set it back on the counter. The other boy, however, held his in both hands as if the cup wasn't even the smallest bit warm.

"So... why exactly was I brought here?" Jace dared to ask as his host drank his tea.

"Oh yes, I have something I need to ask of you- but first allow me to introduce myself." The boy said with a sneer as he set down his cup. "I am The Firemind, Dracogenious Niv-Mizzet, guild leader of the Izzet League. I've heard many things about you, Jace Beleren, and it's nice to finally meet you in person."

"So does that mean I don't get to give myself an over-the-top introduction, too?" Jace asked sarcastically. Niv-Mizzet immediately began to laugh in response and Jace could have sworn the building shook. Maybe it was simply because, despite his polite demeanor, Niv-Mizzet had a monstrously booming laugh.

"It's refreshing to see someone who has a sense of humor." He chuckled. "Not very many people find it in themselves to be able to joke with me."

"Thanks, but I really doubt I was brought here for the sake of entertainment."

"Ah, yes, my apologies." Niv-mizzet nodded, picking up his beaker of tea again. "I actually brought you here because I require your expertise of mind reading. A powerful steroid our guild was developing has recently gone missing, and we have reason to believe it was stolen."

"A powerful steroid?" Jace asked, his tone dripping with disbelief.

"With enough funds and time, you'd be surprised what powerful minds can come up with." Niv-Mizzet explained with a shrug. "All that aside, we have information that points to one of the members of Boros being behind the disappearance of our little experiment: one Tajic. You might know him as the star quarterback of our schools football team, if you care at all for sports. If his stealing the steroid ends up being the case, then there's no doubt he plans on using it as an unfair advantage- quite unsportsmanlike, if you ask me."

"So where in the world does that leave me?" Jace questioned.

"Well, right now it's all just in the realm of speculation. We've done plenty of observation and info gathering, and obviously Tajic and the other members of the team aren't going to tell us or probably don't even know. What we need now is to get inside Tajic's mind and force his guilt or innocence out of him." Niv-Mizzet went on. "And that's where that leaves you."

"...And what if I refuse?" Jace dared to ask. A small gleam appeared in Niv-Mizzet's inhuman eyes, as if he were excited to share the next piece of information with him.

"Well, it's against code to bring any physical harm to you for refusing aside from a few cuts and bruises, but that would hardly teach you a lesson- those things heal." He sneered. "It is, however, normal procedure to humiliate and make an example of you, and it isn't unheard of that we teach you a lesson by making those close to you suffer." An almost child-like glee came over Niv-Mizzet as he began to count on his fingers the few acquaintances Jace had. "There's that fiery pyromancer girl; she isn't aligned with any guilds, so there's no limit to what we could do to her. Then we have that fool Gideon and that sickeningly sweet nurse who I'm sure treasure their spot on the football team and their job respectively. Oh..." He paused, grinning from ear to ear. "And you seem to have taken a liking to that Vess girl as well, haven't you?"

Jace became consumed with anger at the very mention of anything being done to Liliana. A furious look consumed his features as he glared back at Niv-Mizzet, who merely gazed back at him with a victorious smirk.

"You wouldn't dare!" Jace snarled.

"Only if you agree to comply and do this small favor for us, Beleren." Niv-Mizzed laughed (and the fact he was so amused only made Jace's blood boil even more). "So? What do you say? It's not like we're asking you to kill a man- just read his mind."

"..." Jace bit his lip in frustration, looking down to the floor and refusing to meet Niv-Mizzet's eyes as he said, "Fine! I'll read Tajic's mind, just don't do anything to my friends."

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it- at least, now that you've complied." The cruel-looking boy chuckled under his breath. "The best way to go about meeting with him would be the football team's tryouts. I'm not expecting you to make the team- and, let's face it, that that stick-like frame of yours, let's not fool ourselves into thinking you will- I'm just expecting you to look into Tajic's mind and find whether or not he's the culprit."

"...Is that all?" Jace grumbled. "If that's all, I need to go- I have someone waiting for me."

"Alright, so long as you understand what must be done, you may go. I'm sure your dear Liliana hates being kept waiting." Jace looked back at Niv-Mizzet in disbelief, and even took a threatening step forward. The older boy seemed unmoved by this gesture, if not a little annoyed. "We have eyes all over this school, Jace, as do the other guilds. We keep tabs on everyone- at least, everyone we have an interest in using. Of course, everyone knows about you and that girl's little trysts in the library."

"You mention Liliana one more time and I swear I'll-"

"Mister Beleren!" Niv-Mizzet interrupted firmly. "You... wouldn't have happened to have ever met a dragon before, would you?" A sly, dominant smile crept across his lips.

"A dragon?" Jace asked. He wasn't a fool, he knew dragons existed- they were simply so rare most people would probably never meet then in their lifetime, and so far Jace was one of the majority who hadn't. "Can't say I have..."

"Well, that explains how you were able to take such a tone with me. Maybe if you had known you would have been just a little more polite."

Jace suddenly became overwhelmed with fear, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as he sensed a much larger presence in the room with him. Something brushed against his mind that caused him to shiver, and for a second, he could have sworn that the shadow drifting behind Niv-Mizzet grew into a much larger, menacing shape. He took several steps backward, trying to remain as calm as possible.

"You... You're-"

"I am Niv-Mizzet: The Firemind, Dracogenious and I do not take kindly to being taken lightly." Niv-Mizzet growled, sounding like him and someone with a much deeper, more threatening, booming voice was speaking. A trail of smoke exited his lips as he spoke. "Now get out of here, before I set your brain on fire."

Jace was more than happy to comply.


	6. Touchdown!

Liliana stared down at her book, only half-reading and devoting the other half of her senses to listening. Lunch period was nearly over, and Jace had yet to show, and despite how calm she looked on the outside she couldn't help but feel a little upset over how late he was. This only managed to upset her even more, seeing as how she'd grown so accustomed to him being there in such a short time the fact he hadn't shown up for once actually managed to bother her. It was all just a perpetual loop over being hurt Jace had possibly snubbed her and annoyed at herself for growing so attached to his being there- even if it was only once a day during school days. Even if it was for a little over and hour. She sighed, trying to delve deeper into her book unsuccessfully.

Hearing someone finally approaching her, she dared not show as much eagerness as she felt. She kept her eyes locked on the page of her book, although now she was no longer even pretending to be engrossed on what was written on the page. She simply waited for whoever it was to finally reach her- and really, who else could it possibly be? No one else had a reason to come up to her. If it was a guild member coming on behalf of a guild leader, they wouldn't have taken they're sweet time, and... that was really it on the list of people who would come to speak to her that weren't Jace. When her guest finally reached the table she sighed, a slight smirk on her face.

"You really know how to keep a girl waiting, don't you?" She chuckled, looking up from her book only to realize that, much to her surprise, her visitor wasn't Jace at all. Instead, it was a girl, looking back at her with the level of indifference one would have looking at a blank wall. This was hardly insulting, seeing as who it was, and how often they held such an expression.

"Oh... Avacyn..." Liliana spoke, trying to not sound as surprised, disappointed and embarrassed as she felt on the inside. She tried to match the pale-skinned girls level of not caring, but it was something Avacyn had perfected. She had hobbies and talents (being a member of the school choir and one of the better artists that attended Ravnica Academy) but she hardly expressed anything passed boredom or a blank, indifferent stare. It made even Liliana uncomfortable, despite her blank stare being a welcome change from the looks of anger and contempt she usually got.

Avacyn looked around a few times before speaking, her wispy, white hair fluttering about her with each minute turn of her head.

"Jace Beleren... he isn't here?" She asked, not sounding concerned about his absence at all. She was simply asking, like she were asking about the weather.

"Does it look like he's here?" Liliana retorted, trying to return to her book. "He's... probably just busy with something. If you're looking for him, I have no idea where he is- it's not like I keep tabs on the guy."

"How do you feel about him?" The question came so suddenly and completely out of nowhere, Liliana nearly dropped her book. She shifted her gaze swiftly back up to Avacyn, who was patiently awaiting a reply, her darkly-painted lips neither frowning nor grinning. Again she asked another question like it was just a regular piece of small talk. Liliana narrowed her eyes, unable to stop herself from blushing as she considered the question for a good few, long seconds.

"What business is it of yours?" She finally asked back. "When did my feelings for Jace become a curiosity of the stuck-up daughter of the dean?" Avacyn remained unmoved, her lips parting for a moment like she was actually going to answer just before someone came thundering into their midst.

"I'm _so sorry _I'm late!" It was Jace, looking a bit too horrified over simply being late to their usual meetings. He briefly looked over his shoulder, like he had been running from something, before he sighed heavily with both relief and exhaustion. "I got a little held up by-" He stopped, realizing the third person among them, her blank, unmoved attention now glued to him. "U-Um... one of your friends?"

"Hardly." Liliana answered, trying not to sound to relieved he had finally showed as she returned to half-reading her book. "Her name's Avacyn. Get used to the long, drawn out awkward silence- that's kind of her trademark."

Jace looked from Liliana to Avacyn who was still contentedly staring back at him, as if she were closely studying something on his face. She wore mostly black, similar to Liliana, but her manner of dress was far more simple: just a plain, black tank top, black pants that cut off just below the knee, black, closed-toe heels and a black wristband on each of her wrists. The only thing striking about her at all was her eyes that stood out against her pallid complexion.

"Um... Hey." Was all he could really muster under her intense stare. It almost felt as if she was looking into his very soul, and even the simple, wayward thought of her being able to do such a thing made him wildly uncomfortable. "...I'm Jace."

"I know." Avacyn responded in a tone that was silky smooth, but held little to no feeling. She nodded slightly, tucking a strand of her wavy, white hair behind her ear. "I simply came here to assess your and Liliana's relationship."

"Assess our-" Hearing someone call what he and Liliana had a "relationship" made Jace blush a bit.

"Would it be too much to ask- I don't know- _why_?" Liliana asked, sounding leagues more annoyed than Jace was. She glared back at Avacyn, but the pale-skinned girl hardly seemed to care- both for Liliana's clear contempt and Jace's slight embarrassment.

"I was simply curious." Avacyn shrugged, looking to Jace once more. It was so small and the moment was so brief, but he could swear he saw the otherwise emotionless girl flash him a quick smile before turning around without another single word of explanation and take her leave. Both Jace and Liliana watched in confused silence until she had left the library completely.

"What was that about?" Jace asked, turning to Liliana with a quizzical look on his face. All she could to was shrug, still clearly annoyed as she shook her head.

"Hell if I know. That girl's hardly said two words to me since I came here." She muttered. "She might be doing some weird info gathering for her dad, but even that seems really unlikely. I can't tell what she's thinking at all."

"Her dad?" Jace questioned as he sat down- or rather flopped down into his chair like he'd run a mile before he'd arrived.

"Mr. Markov, the dean- they're resemblance is pretty uncanny, I'm surprised you didn't notice." She explained, finally going back to her book but not actually reading anything. She would never admit it, but she'd been on the same page for a very, very long time.

"Oh!" Jace exclaimed, twisting around in the direction Avacyn had vanished. "Now that you mention it, they do look similar. That also explains why I felt so uncomfortable..."

"So where were you?" Liliana cut in, eyes still glued to her book. The trick was not to seem like she cared too much about his disappearance. "You're awfully late and you came here acting like you'd seen a ghost."

"Dragon, actually." Jace corrected, gaining a questioning look from Liliana, who cocked an eyebrow. "I was asked to do something for one of the guilds, and I hate to admit it, but I got a little spooked."

"Those mind reading powers of yours finally getting you attention, huh?" She asked with a smirk. "Which guild?"

"Izzet. They want me to read the mind of someone named Tajic on the football team. They think he stole something from them and need me to see if that's the case." Jace sighed, resting his chin in his upturned palm.

"Ah, well that explains the dragon comment." Liliana chuckled. "Niv's pretty scary, but he's mostly all bark and no bite. He's the only dragon attending the academy so he's under strict rules not to lay a claw on anyone- Something about him being the test run for the school to see if they want to start enrolling more magical beasts. So you don't have to worry about him, just everyone else in the guild."

"That's reassuring." Jace rolled his eyes.

"So how do you plan on doing it- reading Tajic's mind, I mean?" She inquired. "He's a pretty private guy, if I'm not mistaken. When he's not on the football field or in class, he usually vanishes."

"The only surefire way to meet with him is going to be football tryouts it sounds like." Jace explained to her. "I just need to be around him a little while and find what I need, then I can go back to not worrying about what Niv-Mizzet and the rest of Izzet could possibly do to me." There was a brief pause, followed by a snort, which only managed to bother Jace even more.

"What?"

"I'm sorry..." Liliana mumbled between chuckles, covering her mouth in a sad attempt to hide her laughter. "It's just... picturing you trying out for football... you and your skinny little frame."

"Seriously, I'm not _that_ skinny!" Jace groaned. "...Am I?" Just then the bell rang, declaring the end of the lunch period. Liliana closed her book, a look of glee still on her face as she stood.

"Just wait until tryouts, then come to me and tell me you aren't that skinny." She chuckled. "You've seen football teams at norm schools, Jace, but you just wait until you see just the team hopefuls here."

* * *

Liliana was right, Jace thought to himself as he looked back and forth at the other students who were trying out for the football team. He was, without a doubt, skinny. Everyone else looked like they had come out of the womb bench pressing, and there wasn't a single person like him to be seen. Everyone else of his stature must have been chased away by the thought of having all of their bones crushed just during tryouts. The old, extra pads he'd been given by the team, even at the smallest size they had, still fit him pretty loosely, and wiggled about when he moved while the others had their padding held tight against their muscular forms. Now Jace was wishing he'd just found Tajic after class.

It also didn't help that, along with the pungent smell of years worth of sweat clinging to the padding he wore, he couldn't help but also pick up the faint odor of blood.

"Well, this is a surprise!" A familiar voice called out. Jace turned to see Gideon, looking like he was holding back laughter. "Out of all the places I figured I'd see you, Jace, football tryouts is by far the last. What happened, did you lose a bet?"

"I..." Jace began before swallowing back his words. Maybe talking to a member of Boros about how he'd come to read another member's mind to see if they'd stolen something from another guild, regardless of whether or not he was his friend, wasn't the greatest of ideas. That, and, according to Liliana, the football team itself was made up of mostly Boros members. "I just wanted to try something new."

"Like what, being bound to a wheelchair the rest of the year?" Gideon joked, before giving into laughter and slapping Jace firmly on the back, knocking the wind right out of his lungs. "Sorry, I really don't mean to scare you. Just be really careful out there- a couple of these guys look like they could use you to pick stuff out of their teeth."

"What was that? About not wanting to scare me?" Jace asked, glowering up at his friend who reached down to ruffle his hair, a single, booming laugh escaping him as he did.

"Good luck out there, buddy." He said with a smile, running over to a group of equally-muscled people Jace had to assume were members of the team. One of them he recognized as Tajic, from what little pictures he'd seen of him (mostly blurred pictures of him running around the field out of old yearbooks). He could easily just reach out and read his mind now, really. He'd have to do a little bit of searching, but it wouldn't take long, and he could avoid the possibility that was losing the use of his legs.

"Alright, newbies, gather up!" Someone yelled- or, rather, roared from the field. All the new potential team members stampeded onto the field, taking Jace with them who, at first, tried to fight the current of bodies but eventually gave up and allowed himself to be herded. He was brought to the center of the football field where a buff-looking Nacatl who, aside from being just as musclebound as everyone else, had a pelt as white as snow. His mane puffed out around the collar of his blue and white team uniform and it was near impossible to tell if he was wearing pads like the rest of them, or if he was truly that massive.

"My name is Ajani Goldmane, and I've been put in charge of running you ladies through the paces today." He half-spoke, half-roared. Every word he spoke seemed to be accompanied by a low, threatening rumble deep in his throat. "We'll start with a series of warm ups, followed by a short scrimmage. That should be enough to separate the actual players from..." His eyes drifted over Jace, the shortest and least built of the entire group. "...the weaklings." Everyone around him chuckled, as if they knew to whom Ajani was referring. Jace bit his lip, refusing to turn away from the gigantic cat man, mostly to save his already crumbling pride.

Jace hoped the constant put-downs would be enough to fuel him with enough energy to get through the warm ups, at least, but not even a few of them in he was already drenched in sweat. Everyone else seemed to plow through the exorcizes like it was nothing- running, jumping, pushing heavy objects followed by more running followed by more pushing and pulling- but the longer things went on for Jace, the more "warm ups" started to feel like torture. Everything ached, even his lungs from how heavy he'd been breathing.

It wasn't that he wasn't physically fit- but his body could only be put through so much before it started to break down despite his hopes to not look like a total weakling. He didn't even have any intention of joining the team, he just wanted to salvage his pride- keyword being "wanted to". By the time the warm ups had finally ended and the prospective team members were called back into a circle around Ajani, Jace was almost certain that, if he stopped moving about in any sort of way, he would most likely faint.

"Alright, I think I've seen enough." Ajani said, chuckling lightly as his gaze rested on Jace for a short moment, who was still trying to catch his breath. A few pairs of judgmental eyes fell on him as well, no longer finding amusement in Jace's clear lack of anything that could get him on the team. Instead, he now seemed to be the subject of their annoyance now, like an old, tired joke someone told too many times. "We just need to do a quick scrimmage to see how well you ladies play."

Without a moments pause, he began to point at each person in the group and call out names that Jace could only assume were positions they would play. He certainly was no stranger to football, but he didn't really know anything passed what a "quarterback" was, and where people were spreading out to didn't even give him much of a hint to what the names meant either.

"Beleren!" Ajani called out, and Jace snapped to attention. He had a sneer across his thin, black lips, like he was plotting something devious.

"Y-Yeah?" Jace answered, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Running back." Ajani said as he pointed to one end of the field where one half of the players had gathered. Jace could only respond with confused silence, but the cat man seemed to understand, and responded first with mocking laughter and a roll of his eyes. "You run toward the opponents endzone and catch the ball. Is that too complicated for you, or do you think you can handle that?"

"Yeah, I got it." Jace grumbled, heading in the direction Ajani had pointed. He looked over the the bleachers to where Tajic, Gideon and a few other members of the team were sitting, looking over clipboards and pointing in different directions toward the field. The entire time he'd been working up a more than impressive amount of sweat, he hardly had gotten any time at all to look into Tajic's mind. He'd been kept horribly busy, and Tajic kept on moving around and out of sight. Had his mind been familiar to him, reaching out and boring into his thoughts would have been easy, but Tajic was otherwise a total stranger and his mind was new and unfamiliar. It would take a little bit of effort to look through his mind and find something specific.

He more or less let people sort of push him into position. Mimicking the movements of everyone else as they all hunched over, ready to spring forward, all Jace could really dig out of their minds that wasn't something mean-spirited or derogatory was pretty much exactly what Ajani had said- he just had to run past everyone, stay open, catch the ball and run like hell toward the endzone. That and everyone on the defensive side had every intention of plowing him into the ground. Excellent.

Only when everyone started moving did Jace feel incredibly compelled to. There were several other people on either side of him, but it seemed the opposing players only wanted to go after him as he watched them all converge around him. His only option was to do as he was told and run- and run like hell he did. And thankfully his smaller stature that everyone had mocked up until that point allowed him to maneuver more easily between the hulking bodies of the other players, and by some crazy miracle he managed to escape from the thick of it where nothing but muscle filled his vision. All he had to do now was turn for a brief moment and hope the quarterback had thrown the ball.

In an act of complete, blind faith, he turned his head without really studying what was behind him and simply held out his arms, having no time to stop or even slow down. He could hear the thundering footfalls behind him, he knew he could hardly spare a second if he didn't want to be buried beneath a small handful of gigantic footballs players. Much to his, and everyone else's surprise, the football had been thrown with just enough accuracy to land in Jace's arms. He fumbled with it for a bit, the sting of the leather hitting his arms causing him to flinch. But now all there was to do was run like a madman toward the endzone and-

His eyes scanning the bleachers for not even a second he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure dressed in her usual black and violent hues. She was leaning over the railing in front of the front-most seats, waving to him, maybe possibly cheering him on. Fear of being crushed was more than enough to force Jace to run faster than he ever had before, but the appearance of Liliana caused him to slow down despite that. For a second, all there was before him was her.

"Hey, Lili-!" He managed to shout before the first body collided with him, easily taking him down and forcing him down to the ground. Jace watched in embarrassment and horror as his field of vision violently shifted from Liliana to the grass below as the ball slipped from his grasp. From there it was a wild dog pile that he could do nothing but take. The football rolled freely away from the mountain of bodies that now lay on top of Jace as a whistle was blown that he could just barely hear.

The rush of being plowed into the ground quite possibly might have caused him to pass out, seeing as the next moment Jace opened his eyes he was on the sidelines looking up at several people looking down- some unfamiliar faces just giggling and chuckling away, Gideon who looked a mixture of concerned and amused now that his friend had woken up and Liliana right at the very edge of the crowd, looking apologetic, balled up fists pressed against her chest as she cringed and mouthed what Jace figured was a "sorry".

"Come on, get out of the way, give the little man some air!" Someone bellowed as the small crowd of people began to break up. Tajic walked into his line of vision, looking down at Jace with a questioning look that wondered loudly what in the world he was even doing there (and, oh, if only he knew).

"I'm guessing... I didn't quite make the cut, huh?" Jace chuckled weakly, grunting as he attempted to pull himself up. Nothing was broken, thank gods, but his entire body ached and it hurt to put his weight on his arms.

"Yeah, I think we both know you're more suited for something a little... less physically taxing." Tajic said with a laugh, offering his hand to Jace and yanking him up quickly when he took it. And in that moment- that second, that single heartbeat- Tajic's mind was finally free to be delved into. Meeting the taller boy's eyes, Jace reached in, searching for keywords or trains of thought that would lead him to what he was looking for. In that single second he searched, flipping passed memories and ideas that were irrelevant to his search. In that single second, Jace found what he was looking for.

"Jace!" Liliana called out once Jace was on his feet, allowing him to lean on her shoulder, which he more than gladly used. "You're not hurt? You ate it in a really epic way..."

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Jace assured her, trying to put weight on one of his feet and immediately hopping off of it when he felt the slightest sting. "I mean, I've certainly had worse." He gave her a smile twinged with pain that was far from convincing.

"You should head to the infirmary and get that foot checked out." Tajic suggested. "You might have just simply twisted it on your way down, but there's a chance it may be a sprain." Jace nodded, feeling a little bad for what he'd come there to do. Despite his crime, Tajic seemed like a legitimately nice person- or at least, he wasn't thinking of all the ways he could clobber him like everyone else had. Actual concern from one of the meaty football players was a welcome change.

"You don't have to tell me twice." Jace nodded, smirking slightly as Liliana began to lead him away. He hissed in pain as he attempted to use his injured foot again before giving up and giving in to walking with an obvious limp. "Sorry for causing such a fuss." Tajic waived his apology casually, obviously not really having any more words. Something told Jace something like this hardly ever happened, seeing as most people were equipped with enough sense to know whether or not they were cut out for sports. Most people probably weren't forced to attend tryouts just for the sake of reading the mind of one of the players, either.

"So, did you get what you came for?" Liliana whispered as the two of them slowly retreated. "Was the potential sprain worth it?"

"I can't really say _that, _but I did finally get to look into his mind." Jace spoke softly, shaking his head. "Tajic's guilt... was more than clear."


	7. Another Task

"I must admit, I never expected to ever be treating you for anything stronger than a headache." Emmara half-chuckled as she sat down before Jace who was holding his injured foot before her. She examined it first without touching it, just to be sure, before taking it gently in one hand and wrapping a bandage tightly around his ankle with the other. Jace grunted in pain at the slightest touch, trying to hide each flinch as she brushed and passed over tender areas that sent small shocks of pain up his leg. "It's just a sprain, thank goodness, but still, how in the world did you get such an injury?"

"Football tryouts." Jace explained plainly between flinches. The very mention of them gave the kind nurse pause as she looked up at him, the look on her face asking him to stop joking. He put on his most serious gaze in response, silently telling her he wasn't, and to please not laugh. At best, Emmara was able to keep it to simply a half smile and exhaling heavily through her nose before returning to her work. "Not the smartest thing for me do, I know."

"Then why even try at all?" Emmara asked curiously as she fastened the bandage, making sure it was taught. "Not to sound insulting, but you never struck me as a sporty person."

"You and everyone else." Jace muttered, rolling his eyes.

"It wasn't to win the affections of anyone or anything, was it?" She asked him, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, if you want to impress a lady, potentially harming yourself is..." She peered over at Liliana, who was helping out with making the tea that day and looking back at her over her shoulder, not bothering to hide the amused look on her face.

"Fat chance." She chuckled softly under her breath, barely reaching the other two.

"N-No, it wasn't anything like that!" Jace denied, feeling his cheeks grow warm. "It was guild business- I had to read someone's mind."

"Oh? Part of a guild then, are we?" Emmara pried.

"No, not really- they just sort of asked me to do something for them... or rather they forced me." Jace explained, sounding bitter. "But I got what I needed. All I need to do is report back to them, and I can be done with this whole mess."

"Well what guild-?"

Before Emmara could even finish, someone else let themselves into the infirmary, not bothering to be quiet about it and allowed the door to swing all the way the hinges would allow before the door made a strained cracking noise. Liliana and Jace flinched, but Emmara only lowered her head, turning away from the door as the new visitors strode in. Jace recognized them right away: Niv-Mizzet and Ral Zarek- the former of the two putting on an almost regal air while the other seemed smug enough for the both of them.

"Ah, good, you've already started making tea. I'll take a large cup, if you don't mind." Niv-Mizzet smirked, looking to Liliana who glared but didn't say a word in response.

"Didn't make the team, Beleren?" Ral asked, turning to him with a sneer. "Not that I'm surprised, I'm just affirming what I already knew."

"Look, I got what you wanted, I'd appreciate it if you didn't-" Jace began to snap before Niv-Mizzet cut in, stepping in front of Ral and putting a stop to whatever argument that would have sprung up between them.

"And we were so very eager to see what you'd found that we couldn't wait for you to come to us." He explained, hardly sounding sincere. "And I suppose it doesn't hurt to check and see if they didn't rip one of your limbs off. That could... complicate things." He looked to Emmara, who was still looking contently at the floor tiles. "I take it his injury isn't severe?"

"U-Um..." Emmara, who usually spoke so smooth and sure, stammered, smoothing back her hair as she struggled to meet the guild leader's piercing gaze. "No... it's just a sprain. He just needs to keep off the foot as much as he can for... a few days, I'd wager."

"Good, nothing too serious, then." He nodded, seeming proud about the fact he was causing the elven woman to stammer and stutter simply with his presence. With the same, proud look he turned to Jace, who pained himself to stare the dragon in disguise in the eyes. "And what of Tajic?"

"Your suspicions were correct: he did take the-" Jace began, but was swiftly cut off as Niv-Mizzet reached out to ruffle his hair, gripping his skull in a warning grip. Beneath projected flesh and bone were massive claws and muscle enough to crush his skull like an eggshell. Jace wasn't quite sure why it was he was warning him to stop speaking, but he was more than eager to obey.

"Good, excellent, you do us a great service Beleren." He spoke in a dark tone that sent a chill up Jace's spine. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid to say your service isn't quite over and done with."

"Wh-!?" Jace exclaimed. He would have risen to his feet had it not been for his injury. "I read Tajic's mind just like you asked! What else could you possibly want from me?"

"Well, now that we know for a fact he's guilty we'll have someone else in much better physical condition retrieve what is ours. You, however, will be put in charge of making sure that brute remembers nothing about having ever wronged us, or what he stole." He explained.

"But... I can't-"

"Now, Jace, don't be so modest. Wiping the minds of others is your specialty, or did I hear wrong?" Niv-Mizzet asked with a sly sneer. "Is that not what ended up landing you here with us in the first place?"

Without warning, Jace stood, putting enough force into his rising that he pushed the bed he was sitting on back, permeating the otherwise quiet room with a loud, metallic shriek. He glared back at the red-head, a look of fury in his eyes that was enough to take even Niv-Mizzet back. No one ever glared back at him like that, not until then. Jace Beleren continued to surprise him.

"Jace, your foot!" Liliana began to warn, but he stood despite the pain, staring down the dragon cloaked in illusion like he was seconds away from decking him in the jaw.

"Don't you ever bring that up again." Jace warned. "What happened before I came here and what happened to get me here are my own business, and nothing to stick your snout into." Niv-Mizzet stared quietly back at Jace, anger burning in his eyes before he snorted in frustration.

"Regardless, you know as well as me this isn't something you can just back out of, Beleren." He growled. "We've discussed this before, you know exactly what is still on the line. All we ask is that you make sure Tajic has no memory of his crimes against us, and then I give you my word your usefulness to Izzet will be over and done with."

For a brief moment, Jace looked to Liliana, who looked like she was ready to defend herself with Emmara's tea pot if she needed to. He knew what was on the line, and as much as he hated having his own powers getting exploited, there were far worse things that could happen.

"Fine." He muttered, refusing, at least, to sound compliant. "How in the world am I supposed to confront Tajic? Mind wiping is a pretty careful process, so I can't just happen upon him at practice or at a game. I need him alone."

"That's your problem." Ral injected, seeming no less smug than when he'd walked in. "You're a pretty bright guy- or at least we assume you are. We trust you can come up with something without our help."

"But-!" Jace began to say, but both Ral and Niv-Mizzet turned away, walking out of the room as if he no longer existed. His troubles weren't their problem now, and they knew he would eventually be forced to deliver. All they really had to do was drop another task in his lap, possibly make him feel as uncomfortable and bothered as possible in that short time, and leave to go do... whatever it was they did behind the backs of the other guilds and students.

"The tea will have to wait, dear." Niv-Mizzet said with a smirk to Liliana, who hadn't bothered to acquiesce to his original request. "Maybe another time." He began to follow Ral out before pausing at the doorway and turning to Emmara, who still seemed worlds more uncomfortable than either Jace or Liliana. She could feel his gaze fall on her once more and dared to meet it.

"Tell me, now that Mat'Selesnya has graduated, Selesnya is busy naming a new guild leader I take it?" He asked, waiting for her to silently nod. "Your name has come up quite a lot in the chatter concerning the matter. Could it be you're in the running for the title?"

"Yes... mostly for my seniority in the guild and my being on the staff rather than being a student. It would... give them a considerable advantage to have me as guild leader since I'm the only staff member who's a member of their guild." Emmara muttered, her voice trembling despite how hard it appeared she was trying. "There are other people to chose from out of the pool, so I can't say for certain..."

"Amusing." Niv-Mizzet chuckled darkly. "To think that, the next we meet, we might meet as equals. Well, equals in name only, that is. You have a long way to go in any other regard, but you have my vote it comes to a guild-wide nomination. I'd rather have an opposing guild be led by an older woman who can't even meet my eyes."

With that he left, turning his back on all three of them and striding proudly out of the infirmary and allowing the door to loudly slam behind him. Only then did Emmara slouch in her chair, heaving a heavy, anxious sigh. Only then did Jace realize just how much pain he was in and sat down, looking guiltily down at the floor and rubbing his injury. Liliana stood nervously before them, unsure of who to comfort first, or what to pry about first. Both of them apparently had baggage they hadn't bothered to tell her, and both of them seemed more than a little troubled about it.

"So... Guild leader, huh?" Jace spoke up, breaking the silence that had fallen between them with a forced chuckle as he tried his best to regain composure. Emmara finally raised her head, giving him a nod and a nervous smile.

"Yes, I was chosen as one of the candidates personally by Mat'Selesnya before she graduated." She explained, and although it sounded like a grand honor to both Jace and Liliana, Emmara only acted disheartened as she told them, clasping her hands and placing them in her lap. "I have no confidence in myself, though. I don't know if I'd be able to deal with the pressure... not to mention having to meet with all the other guild leaders. Niv alone is enough to make me uncomfortable..."

"I'm sure you'll do fine." Liliana entered into the conversation, handing Emmara a cup of tea. "Niv just likes scaring people, don't pay him any mind. We need someone like you as a guild leader: a person who actually cares and doesn't exploit their power and people to get what they want." Emmara looked up at her, a light blush on her cheeks and her mouth slightly agape, words of thanks struggling to make it up her throat where a warm lump had begun to grow.

"Yeah, this is only my first time being used by a guild and I'm already sick of it." Jace agreed. "You'll make a good guild leader." He still looked considerably worried, his own problems still looming over him like a thick, black, ominous cloud. Finally, a smile crept across Emmara's features as she looked shyly down at her tea.

"Both of you are just saying those things to make me feel better." She chuckled lightly, shaking her head.

"Well, is it working?" Lilian asked. The elven woman clicked her tongue in response, the tension vanishing from her shoulders.

"A... A little." She admitted, rubbing the back of her head. "My own worries aside, I'm a little concerned for Jace." She paused, turning to him as Liliana handed him his own cup of tea. "They sort of just dropped this new assignment in your lap, didn't they?"

"It's because Niv's a dick and he loves it." Liliana groaned. "He'll do anything if it means he'll be the cause of someone's misery."

"Well, I can't just call up Tajic and ask him if he wants to chat. Mindwiping is a really delicate thing- if he gets the least bit suspicious it may not even work." Jace sighed. "Me asking to meet him alone might make him paranoid."

"So what are you going to do?" Liliana asked, honestly having nothing to add, despite how much she wanted to. She was no mind mage, and she had no idea how in the world such a person functioned.

"...I'm going to have to ask for some inside help." Jace decided after a short period of silence. "It puts me in danger of being exposed and all of Boros knowing what I'm doing, but it's really the only option I have. I only have the option of appealing to their ethical side, I just really hope it works."

"Who in Boros could you possibly appeal to?" Liliana asked him. "Exposing yourself to any of them is just asking for trouble from both them and Izzet. And, last I checked, Niv doesn't take kindly to failure."

"They've left me no choice but to risk it." Jace explained himself, teetering back to his feet. "Right now I can only hope that going with my gut for once isn't going to get me into trouble with either Boros or Izzet."

"Yeah, and after that little stunt you pulled back there with standing up to Niv and Ral, I can only guess you're walking on hot coals already." Liliana mentioned. Jace chuckled nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders.

"I don't think I'll have any reason to worry about that. He's probably long forgotten about it." He assured her, gaining looks of confusion from both Liliana and Emmara.

* * *

"Sir... do you really think it wise to have all this riding on Jace being able to mind wipe Tajic?" Ral Zarek asked his guild leader who was walking several paces ahead. Everyone in their way stepped to the side of the hall and bowed their heads, as if meeting the eyes of Izzet's fearsome guild leader would petrify them. "I mean... The boy is talented, we've already assessed that, but I don't recall him having any sort of expertese in wiping the minds of other people. The brain is a very delecate thing- if Tajic so much as realizes someone's in his head, messing with his thoughts he'll-"

"Do you have doubts in my judgement, Ral?" Niv-Mizzet growled, turning to his subordinate with a withering gaze.

"N-No, sir." Ral straightened up, arms practically glued to his sides.

"Then don't question me." The disguised dragon hissed. "Jace Beleren excels at magic involving the minds of other people, or so I've managed to dig up. There's no doubt in my mind that he'll be able to pull off removing a memory from someone's brain- regardless of whether or not he's done so before. He didn't seem to have any sort of qualm at the mention of such magic, so I can only assume it's something he's dabbled in before."

"That fool did manage to make it this long in a norm school." Ral chuckled nervously. "I'm sure he had to wipe the memory of him being a mage from people's brains more than once to make it by."

"Exactly my point. There's no way he managed to stay absolutely covert all these years among regular humans. Not very many people his age are transferred to this academy. You know as well as I do it's nearly impossible to pull off. They probably sniffed him out years ago, they just don't remember it."

"R-Right..." Ral nodded, feeling the dragon's overwhelming presence begin to seep out of his assumed form. It was almost suffocating, and it took a large amount of Ral's concentration to steady his own breathing. He despised how powerless he felt under the thumb of such a terrifying creature. If he hadn't fallen under Niv-Mizzet's command when the two of them entered the academy, gods-damn he would have made his own guild- one that would stand in opposition to Niv-Mizzet's slave-driving cruelty. "Sorry to have doubted you... sir."

* * *

The music blaring from Jace's dorm room was exceptionally loud that day, like his roommate was attempting to bring down the very foundation of the building with sound waves. It was an amazing sight, as Jace forced his way through the door and peered in while pressing his ears tightly against his ears, to see Gideon proudly standing before the thumping speakers, his ears unguarded and hardly shrinking even the slightest bit before the overwhelming din. He attempted to call his friend's name several times, but each time, his words were drowned out by the music. He might as well have been whispering into the wall of sound with how easily his words were carried away.

Figuring it best not to hurt his throat or waste the air, Jace pushed forward, knocking Gideon's arm roughly with his elbow, keeping his hands pressed to his ears. He turned to Jace, looking energized by the ear-splitting noises coming from his speakers. Maybe Gideon had simply gone deaf years ago and was really good at reading lips and had learned to sense things around him without the use of sound. Jace could only assume.

"Jace!" Jace could only assume Gideon shouted over the blaring sound of the music. Upon realizing his friend who's eardrums he didn't want to do irreparable damage to had arrived, he quickly found the power button to the sound system, killing the music and leaving the air around them ringing from the lack of intrusive noise. "I half-expected to see you hobbling in here on crutches."

"Sorry to disappoint." Jace chuckled, sitting on his bed exhaustedly, wishing he'd taken the crutches Emmara had offered him, or the shoulder Liliana had lent Walking from the campus to the dormitories on a bad foot had been a process he felt had been unnecessary had he simply decided to toss away whatever pride made it seem like walking on his injured ankle was a good idea.

"Had you told me you were going to try out for the football team, I would have tried to dissuade you from doing it. You made it out with that little injury, luckily, but it could have been much worse. Everyone on that team or trying to be apart of that team are ruthless."

"I noticed." Jace sighed, checking the bandages wrapped around his injury, making sure they hadn't come loose on his trip over. "And the whole... trying out was sort of a last minute decision... it wasn't even my decision, really..." Gideon quickly caught on to Jace's nervous tone, and the welcoming smile quickly left his face.

"Who's the dick who convinced you to try out?" Gideon asked. "I mean, whoever they are, I'm pretty sure it's about time to cut ties with whoever that is. Their bright idea could have gotten you really hurt."

"It's not like that, Gideon. It wasn't someone's idea- I kind of... had to do it." Jace muttered.

"Okay, enough with this keeping me in the dark about why you tried out for football. Pussy-footing around telling me what's going on is making me really suspicious." Gideon groaned.

"I was there to look into Tajic's mind, okay!" Jace finally admitted, throwing his hand over his mouth and looking nervously to the door to the room, hoping he hadn't shouted too loud.

"Tajic? What in the world did you did you need out of _that_ guy's mind? I doubt he has anything that would concern you."

"...Izzet begs to differ." Jace corrected guiltily.

"I-Izzet? What do those nerds want with Tajic?" Gideon cocked an eyebrow curiously.

"It's more like what Tajic wanted from them, actually." Jace explained, nerves clearly audible in his voice as he spoke. "Turns out he actually stole some steroid they were developing and plans to use it to gain an unfair advantage over the other teams and- he hasn't brought this up to you at all?"

Gideon looked back at Jace stunned before slowly shaking his head.

"Look, I know it sounds really farfetched, but you have to believe me here. I looked into his mind during tryouts, Gideon, and it was all there, clear as crystal. I really wish I had more concrete evidence here, but I can really only give you my word as someone who read those very thoughts from Tajic's brain."

"Why... are you even telling me this?"Gideon questioned, the shock on his face matching the shocked tone of his voice.

"Because I need your help, that's why!" Jace told him urgently. "Now I've been charged with the task of wiping Tajic's mind clean of the steroid he stole and if I don't there's no doubt that Niv-Mizzet is going to fry my brain into a bite-sized nugget or something. You're the only person I can confide in to draw Tajic out so I can get a clear shot at his mind. You and I both know that what he's doing is wrong so... For now I need you to forget about your place with Boros and come at this from the perspective of someone who probably doesn't appreciate cheating. I mean, look at it this way: You keep one of your fellow teammates from doing something highly illegal and I keep from getting my brain scooped out with a spoon to be fed to a damn dragon! See, everyone wins!" Gideon responded, first, with thoughtful silence and with each passing second, Jace grew more and more nervous.

"You know..." He began, a smile slowly creeping across his lips. "You talk really fast when you're nervous. It's almost impossible to understand you."

"Look, Gideon, now really isn't the time to be teasing me. Either you help me, or I make sure you forget all about this conversation and I go on to the next person. Time is kinda of the essence here."

"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't help my friend out of a jam, huh?" Gideon laughed. "You're right in saying that what Tajic is doing is wrong, and it's sort of shameful that one of my own would do something like this- both in the case of a member of the football team and a member of Boros. What he's doing could get both the guild and the team in some serious shit, so it would pretty dumb of me not to help you." He slapped Jace firmly on the back, causing a fit of coughing from his friend. "I'm only offended you didn't come to me sooner. I could have had you avoid risking life and limb to get the information you've already gotten."

"Sorry..." Jace bowed his head apologetically. "I just needed to be 100% sure Tajic was guilty before I involved you." He admitted to himself that he hadn't simply decided not to involve Gideon because of lack of evidence- no, it was more due to a lack of thinking. The realization that he could have taken such an easy way out the first time was enough to leave a stinging sensation that hurt more than the pain in his foot.

"Well, what we need now is Tajic, right?" Gideon asked. "The football team is having a little welcome party for the new recruits, so that will be the easiest place to confront him about it-"

"No,no,no, Gideon, if you so much as mention the steroid, he's going to freak out and try running. I just need you to lure him someplace private and secluded. The last thing we want is him getting spooked. I know how you like doing things really offensively loud, but-"

"Hey!" Gideon shot back, taking offense.

"I'm just saying, we need to shoot for subtlety." Jace finished. "I need to know I can count on you. Neither of us can mess this us... especially me... seeing as getting my brain gobbled up by a dragon doesn't sound like a viable alternative here."

"You don't have to worry about a thing, I'm the king of subtle." Gideon proudly nodded.

"Yeah, I mean, just look at all your attempts to woo Chandra." Jace said under his breath, earning himself an elbow to the gut.

"Hey, I'm sticking my ass out to help you here, so could you please lay off the smart ass comments?"

"Sorry, that one kind of slipped out." Jace groaned, holding his stomach in pain.

"Well keep those to yourself." Gideon grumbled. "The football welcome party is tonight, so you better be there or I'm going to look like I'm trying to seduce Tajic, bringing him to a private place with something important to tell him. I've already been friend zoned by Chandra, I really don't want to accidentally be made into her gay best friend."

"I promise, no one is going to be mistaken for being gay here. I'll hold up my end of the bargain if you hold up yours." Jace held out his hand for Gideon to shake to seal the deal.

"God damn, if you weren't my friend, I'd shoot you down in a heartbeat." Gideon sighed in defeat, taking Jace's hand and firmly shaking it. "The next time I'm in a jam where I need someone's mind to be messed with, you'd better be there for me."

"Don't you worry, after this I'll be in your debt for a really long time."


	8. Whispers in the Dark

Jace sighed impatiently, putting his hands in the pockets of his jacket. The football team's party was being held in the team's locker room, so he had no choice but to wait outside on the bleachers of the field. He had to wait until the party got completely underway to give Gideon the signal so that no one would notice him lure Tajic out from the festivities and out onto the field to talk. He didn't want to risk anyone noticing and following after them in curiosity. It all came down to a waiting game, and he was getting incredibly impatient.

He looked down at his cell phone, noting that the minutes were dragging by. The night was still incredibly young, and judging by the thoughts drifting from the locker room the party was still only just beginning. Not everyone had even arrived yet. He leaned back, taking a long, calming breath to try and focus as he concentrated on the minds drifting about the room just beyond the field. He desperately hoped that the party would go into full swing soon, or else he would be overwhelmed by the headache that was starting to build at the back of his skull. He'd been so nervous that entire day, he'd forgotten to pop into the infirmary to take his medication.

Bending uncomfortably backward and resting his head against the seat behind him, Jace happened to hear a metallic echo of someone else stepping onto the bleachers somewhere. Snapping up, he pulled his concentration away from the party and looked around the seats. The field itself wasn't lit, and he was sitting in almost total darkness, but there wasn't a sound to be heard aside from the passing wind and his own breathing. Still, he cautiously rose from his seat, peering out into the blackness.

"...Hello?" He called, getting no answer. Of course, if someone was creeping around the darkness- either the academy staff come to jump him for sneaking onto the field after hours or someone else trespassing like him- they wouldn't want to be found or draw attention to themselves. "...Someone there?" Again, no answer. He began to doubt he'd ever heard anything before he heard a faint whisper call out to him from the shadows. The voice was much too small for him to hear exactly what had been said- the words swept up by a passing breeze- but he knew someone had spoken. With caution he slowly stepped down from where he sat, reaching the bottom of the bleachers and looking over the railing onto he field. Again, no one.

"Gods, am I hearing voices now..." He muttered to himself, rubbing his head that was starting to throb. He attempted to cast his mind back toward the party again, but just as he attempted to, the voice spoke again. This time, however, he could hear it clearly, like whoever was speaking was leaning in ans whispering into his ear, the chilling wind that brushed by feeling like it's breath.

_Guildpact. _

"H-Hey!" He spun in what he thought was the direction of the speaker, but no one was there. But he knew someone had said something. There was no way that he'd simply been hearing things. The voice had been too clear, too tangible, to have been a figment of his aching mind. On edge now, he had no choice but to totally remove his snooping from the party and peer out into the darkness with his mind's eye.

Immediately his head split in agony, his headache rising to a blinding shock of pain that caused him to completely lose his balance and focus. The ground seemed to vanish from beneath him, up became down and left became right. And even though his mind had been swept up in excruciation, he could still read the thoughts of the stranger who had whispered to him in the darkness. They were overwhelming- nothing but endless torrents of emotion and deafening white noise. Anger pulsed in his veins, sorrow caused his body to feel heavy and madness clutched at his mind.

"NNG!" He groaned in pain, clutching his head and dropping to his knees. All the while, one, single, clear message repeated again and again in his mind, calling out to him.

_Guildpact. _

_Guildpact. _

_Guildpact!_

"_STOP_!" Jace shouted, and the moment he did, everything went quiet. The swell of emotions quieted, and his splitting headache died down to a dull, annoying pain. He was left on his knees, sweat dripping down his face as he struggled to regain breath. Weakly looking up as he wiped his moistened brow, he caught a glimpse of someone or something shifting in the darkness and dashing away.

"H-Hey! Stop!" He shouted, uneasily rising to his feet before pursuing the stranger. Whoever they were, they weren't just a random passerby. They had felt him in his mind, and in turn had shown him something and spoke to him through his thoughts. And he couldn't shake the feeling it had all been familiar. "Hey, wait!"

That word... why did it feel like he'd heard it somewhere before?

_Guildpact. _

* * *

"Liliana... Liliana? _Lili_?" Liliana raised her head, looking up at Emmara, who was peering over at her from across the table.

"Sorry, Emmara, I guess I was... spacing out." She muttered as a whistle from a teakettle pierced the silence that had filled the elven woman's kitchen. It wasn't uncommon for Liliana to drop by Emmara's apartment during all hours of the night, and at first it seemed to really bother her, but now she would normally greet her with a tired smile and tea. It had become something of a routine the two did for a while now.

"Finally getting tired? My couch is always open if you don't want to walk all the way back home." Emmara offered, standing and quickly making her way to the stove.

"No... well, yeah, but that isn't it." Liliana shook her head. "It's just... Jace."

"If you're worried about the trouble he has with Izzet, I'm sure he'll be fine. He has friends he can reach out to, and he's a sharp boy himself. He'll be fine." Emmara assured her with a chuckle as she began to pour the tea.

"No, it's not that, and you know it, Emmara." Liliana spoke in a serious tone, looking over her seat to throw a stone-cold look at her friend. She looked back at her in surprise before heaving a troubled sigh. "I feel like I need to tell him."

"Liliana..."

"I mean... I didn't mind keeping it from Gideon or Chandra. They were just school friends. Jace... Jace is different." Liliana continued. She hung her head, her long, black hair flowing over her shoulders. "I feel... _bad_ for keeping things from him."

"Is this why you dropped by tonight? I figured you'd simply had another nightmare." Emmara clicked her tongue and sat beside her, handing her a mug covered in multi-colored cat prints. She had an eclectic collection of mugs she'd collected over the years, and every night it seemed like she handed Liliana one she had never seen before. "If the fact you're keeping things from him is keeping you up at night, maybe you should tell him the truth. I mean, look at me. I know, and I'm still here."

"Yeah, but you sure do treat me differently. You treat me like I'm going to break at any second and force yourself to be happy around me. I know you do." Liliana groaned. "That and you're an elf. The effects of my condition, at least, are pretty common to people like you. Jace might..."

"How do you feel for Jace, anyway?" Emmara asked, a kind smile still on her lips as she spoke. "You talk about him like he's more than just a friend." She daintily closed her eyes, a victorious expression overcoming her soft, kind one as Liliana violently swerved around to fully meet her gaze with trembling lips and heated cheeks.

"Wh- don't go assuming things, Emmara. He's a friend, just like everyone else... He's just... Different." She unsuccessfully protested.

"Hm, different, is it?" Emmara chuckled. "Is that what humans call it these days?"

"I know what you're up to, Emmara." Liliana glared at her through the haze of steam rising from her cup of tea

"I have no idea what you're going on about, Lili." At least, that's what Emmara said. Her grin said otherwise.

"You're trying to play matchmaker."

"The boy adores you, Lili!"

"Yeah, but a lot of boys have 'adored' me. That didn't cause you to suddenly want to pair them off with me!"

"Yes, true, but Jace is..." Emmara paused, realizing what she was about to say before her and Liliana spoke in unison- Emmara indefeat and Liliana in annoyance.

"...Different."

"See what I mean?" Liliana groaned.

"W-Well, going back to why you came here in the first place, the only advice I have to give is for you to tell him." Emmara sighed. "I know you're worried about what he'll think, or what he might try to do. But worry about those things once he knows. That way you'll only have to worry about a few things and not several thousand things he could possibly think or do."

"Gods, you talk about it like it's so simple for me to say." Liliana groaned as she looked out the window she sat beside and out into the dark void of night. "It took me years to tell you- and I only managed to because you finally got suspicious and caught on."

"Well, would you rather tell him, or have him catch on, then?"

"Him catching on doesn't sound very promising..." Liliana muttered, leaning her head against the cool glass of the window. She could hear the wind howling from outside. A storm was brewing, from the looks of it. Clouds were covering the moon and stars, snuffing out any and all light. It was all very fitting for how she felt. "If he catches on, by then it will be too late."

* * *

Jace continued to chase after the shadow across the campus of the school. Every once in a while, he'd lose sight of them, whoever they were, but then he'd catch movement in the corner of his vision and he would hurl himself in that direction without hesitation. In the back of his mind, he knew what he was doing was foolish- running after some stranger who's thoughts were unlike any he'd ever read in the direction opposite of where he actually needed to be. At the very least, it would inconvenience him and throw a rench in his plans to mind wipe Tajic, and at the very most, it was dangerous and whoever this stranger was, they could potentially harm him more than giving him a headache.

But still, he continued, letting whoever he was following lead him every which way until he arrived at the school building. He knew from what he'd been told that the school was very adamant about security. If he so much as tried to go near the doors with intentions of opening them without knowing a great deal about spells, security would be noted of his presence. Sighing in defeat through his nose, he began to turn away and head back to the field, but something peculiar caught his eye. The doors what would take a greater mage than he to go anywhere near were ajar, silently beckoning him into the facility. Jace nervously looked around, like maybe this was some sort of trap, but he couldn't see or hear anyone. The only thing he could hear was what finally drove him to head into the school: the whispering- the word that seemed to be walking the line between a word he'd never heard, and one he'd heard a million times.

_Guildpact._

"...Hello?" He called into the dark, hollow main entrance. He poked his head through the door, but kept the rest of his body outside the building cautiously. No alarms had sounded just yet, but there was no harm in being careful. Getting no answer, as usual, he frowned suspiciously before slowly slinking into the building, one body part at a time, until he was completely passed the doorway.

"Whoever you are, you'd better cut this out." Jace spoke, trying to sound like he wasn't a little bit afraid of what was lurking in the dark around him. During the day, there was nothing about the main entrance that seemed at all creepy or off-putting. But at night, the place seemed oddly eerie, and it sent chills down Jace's spine. He walked into the very center of the room, looking every which way enough to make himself dizzy. "What in the hell is it you keep calling me? ...Guildpact?"

As soon as he spoke it, he heard it again. He heard it whispered from all directions, first by voices that all sounded similar, but grew vastly different, as if an entire crowd was saying it back to him. No, not just simply speaking it. They were crying it, shouting it, barking it and screaming it. They were voices of terror, anger, pain, anguish- none of them had a warming tone at all. Jace frantically spun around, trying to find the source of the voices. But, at least from looking around as quickly as he was, he couldn't see a single soul. He could only hear him as they grew louder and louder, as if accusing him of something.

"Stop..." Jace muttered, covering his ears. "Shut up!" The voices only grew louder in response, more threatening, more angry. "What is a guildpact!? Fucking tell me!"

The voices suddenly stopped in a jarring fashion, leaving Jace's ears ringing worse that Gideon's speakers. The countless, angry voices were replaced immediately with silence, and then the fluttering of cloth. Jerkily, Jace turned in the direction of the noise, coming to find an older man standing behind him. He wore a flowing, blue cloak that blew in the wind seeping in through the open door and clothes that came from another time in history. He glared back at Jace with a look that almost stung, but the rest of his features were calm and relaxed. But what shocked Jace the most about the man was not that he'd suddenly appeared, but that he looked almost just like him, only ages a good, few years. He mouthed something- something Jace couldn't quite make out- before turning and fleeing down one of the dark corridors.

"...H-Hey!" Jace shouted, running clumsily after the man. "Wait a second, stop!"

Turning a corner, however, his persuit was suddenly stopped as he ran headlong into someone turning the corner. Jace tumbled to the floor, but whoever it was he'd run into hardly even stumbled. Cursing to himself as he scrambled to his knees, Jace looked up to find he'd run into Sarkhan Vol, head of the disciplinary committee, of all people. They'd met before, when Jace had enrolled and met the dean, but now he noticed him and Niv Mizzet shared the same kind of eyes (although Sarkhan Vol didn't seem to have the same overwhelming presence as the Izzet guild leader).

"Goodness, it seems like you have somewhere to be." He chuckled darkly. "Certainly not anywhere in here, I hope. The school is off limits this time of night."

"S-sorry... I... I just..." Jace stammered, taking a moment from being terrified of punishment to peer around the disciplinary comimittee head's body. "Did anyone else pass by you?"

"Not unless they were incredibly good at sneaking around." Sarkhan looked to the door, then back to Jace, who was still trying to gather his words to plead innocence.

"I-I'm sorry, I just... I was following someone and... the door was open, I swear I didn't open it myself!"

"I trust you didn't. The only people who can open those doors are staff members and those given permission. Someone must simply have been careless and left it unlocked. Wind's incredibly strong tonight, so it must have been blown open." He paused, looking down at Jace and narrowing his eyes. "And who would I be for blaming a young man like yourself for being curious." Something in his words was threatening, and it made Jace shiver as he stood to his feet.

Sarkhan Vol was an incredibly intimidating person. He had the build of someone who had rigorously trained themselves their entire life, and an aura of someone who had seen a lot more than Jace would be able to stomach. He had long, straight, black hair that made him seem like some sort of villain. And even now, after hours, he still wore a suit. Even smiling, he seemed like he was trying hard to be terrifying.

"I wasn't... I was..." Jace began to protest.

"Yes, yes, I know, 'following someone'." Sarkhan rolled his eyes, as if he didn't believe Jace. "But whoever they were, they definitely aren't here, I promise you that."

"Oh..." Jace muttered. Had he been seeing things? Or had he seen...

"Well, you're still quite new here, so I'll let this disgusting disregard for the rules slide just this once." Sarkhan hissed through a smile that didn't fir his words in the slightest. "But, if I ever catch you here again, Mister Beleren, believe me when I say there will be consequences for your actions. So, the next time you happen to find the school doors open at night..." He reached out and rested his hand on Jace's shoulder before clutching it just a little too tight. "...You'll close them."

"Y-Yes sir!" Jace stammered, as he flinched under the older man's grip.

"Good. Now run along now before I change my mind." He grinned, letting Jace go, who was more than willing to start heading for the door.

"Oh, and one more thing, Mister Beleren." Sarkhan called out. Jace stopped in his tracks, peering over his shoulder. "You haven't aligned yourself with a guild yet, have you?"

"... No." Jace shook his head.

"Well, a mind like yours is sure to be scouted sooner or later, so allow me be the first to open the doors of the Infinite Consortium to you."

"...Infinite... Consortium? I don't really remember hearing about them." Jace furrowed his brow in confusion, thinking back to the names Chandra had listed. Infinite Consortium wasn't something he remembered hearing.

"Oh, well, it's a guild that hasn't gotten to get it's roots into the guild system just yet, but I really do suggest you spare us a thought." Sarkhan explained. "It's a guild designed to stand against the tyranny or all the other guilds running this school. It would be a great service to both us and you if you were to join our ranks."

"I'm... not really interested in joining any guilds, actually... sorry." Jace muttered. Something about the offer made him incredibly uneasy, as innocent as it all seemed.

"Well, it's still quite early in the year. You'll have time to decide if that's really how you feel." Sarkhan shrugged. "Just keep us in mind when you grow tired of your powers being exploited by the other guilds. We at the Infinate Consortium would _never_ exploit you."

"Right..." Jace spoke slowly. "I should probably get going."

"Yes, you should. I suggest you hurry on back to the dorms. It looks like a nast storm is brewing outside." Jace nodded in response before rushing away, running out the doors and slamming them behind him. Sarkhan chuckled, calmly walking into the main entrance of the building, his footsteps echoing around him.

"That was a tad bit inconvenient. I could have sworn I locked that door." He sighed, turning back toward the darkness of the corridor. "I'm sorry for the interruption, Master Bolas."

"No need to apologize. I think we both have gotten our answer by Jace's little display." A rumbling voice answered from the shadows.

"It seems we did." Sarkhan nodded, looking back toward the door. "The moment we've been waiting for is closer at hand than we thought."

* * *

Gideon groaned, looking down at his cellphone yet again. He'd been tailing Tajic the entire party, and now things were starting to wind down. Jace had yet to text or call, despite the fact that he'd made everything sound so important and urgent. And now he was taking his sweet time and keeping Gideon from really enjoying the party.

"Come on, Jace, where are you?" He whispered

"Gideon?" Gideon jumped as someone addressed him. Ironically enough it was Tajic, eyeing him curiously. Gideon quickly straightened up and pocketed his phone.

"H-Hey, man!" He exclaimed a little too loudly, forcing a smile. "What's up?"

"I should be asking you the same question." Tajic spoke suspiciously. "You've been looking at your phone this entire time like you're worried about something. Did you and Chandra get in a fight?"

"N-No- and how do people keep on guessing that I like Chandra?!"

"You act like you're actively trying to hide it from people." Tajic chuckled before growing serious again. "But seriously, what's wrong? You're usually the life of the party."

"Sorry, man, I just... have a lot on my mind."

"Like...?" Tajic pried. Gideon paused thoughtfully, minding the cellphone in his pocket. Either he just went about things as usual and didn't act because Jace had vanished somehow, or he could give into the nagging in the back of his mind and confront Tajic about his wrong-doing himself. Surely he'd be much too taken back by Gideon knowing what he'd done, he'd never even think to ask where he'd heard it. There was no way he could ignore his friend having done something so wrong, regardless of whether or not Jace would be there to back him up. It was now or never.

"...Could I, possibly, talk to you... in private?" Gideon asked. Tajic paused, looking back at him confusedly.

"In private?"

"Yeah, as in somewhere not public." Gideon grumbled impatiently. "I just... really need to talk to you somewhere where there isn't any people around." Tajic blinked once. Twice. Three times before answering.

"...You're not coming onto me, are you?"

"Oh sweet gods,_ no_! Just... come with me, alright?"

"Oookay..." Tajic finally said, sounding doubtful of Gideon's fervent denial. Gideon glowered at him, heading in the direction of the hallway that led out to the field, checking over his shoulder to see if Tajic was following him. And then he prayed for some kind of miracle to happen that didn't involve rumores getting spread around school that he swung for the other team. It was hard enough to gain the affections of Chandra as is. It would be damn near impossible if he went from being friendzoned to gay-best-friend-zoned.

"So... what did you want to talk to me about?" Tajic finally asked once they arrived on the field after a good amount of silence. Gideon stood still, keeping his back facing his teammate and taking a deep, preperatory breath.

"Tajic... You..." He began, turning around to meet the gaze of his companion. "You haven't been-" He cut himself off once he realized that Tajic looked as if he were in some sort of trance and that Jace, who looked like he'd run from the other side of campus, was standing behind him, tendrils of blue light swirling in his eyes.

"Thank gods!" He sighed as he rushed over to catch Tajic's body that suddenly went limp.

"Gideon, what the hell!" Jace hissed, rubbing his head like he were nursing an awful headache. "I thought I told you to lure Tajic out here only when I gave the signal!"

"Well excuse me, I'm not the one who was taking his time giving said signal! If I'd waited any longer, people would have noticed and followed us out!" Gideon groaned, lying Tajic on the grass. "I couldn't just ignore the fact Tajic has done something morally wrong. So I was going to confront him with or without your help."

"Well, it's a damn good thing I got here just now, or else we'd both be in deep trouble." Jace sighed exhaustively, flopping down onto the ground and sitting beside Tajic's unconscious body. Everything that had happened in the course of that night had worn him out. "Sorry... for taking so long."

"What happened? Where were you?" Gideon asked, taking a seat next to Jace.

"I was... distracted by something." Jace tried to explain.

"Something more distracting than getting your brain deep fried and eaten by a dragon?" Gideon asked sarcastically.

"I guess I really wasn't thinking, was I?" Jace mused as thunder clapped above them. "We should probably head indoors. I think it's going to rain."

"What about Tajic?"

"Drag him to shelter, but leave him there. He'll wake up thinking he partied way too hard and passed out." Jace explained. "He'll have no memory of you luring him away from the party, I promise."

"Oh he'd better not. He was starting to get really suspicious- and in the wrong kind of way!"

"Sorry for all the trouble." Jace apologized as he looked up at the sky as the first raindrops began to fall. He didn't want to show it, but he was incredibly uneasy and very confused. Not just because of the events that had transpired before he had gotten there, but because, closely entwined with the thoughts of having taken the steroid from Izzet, there was another train of thought that he couldn't break apart from it. It could only mean that that one, little thought, was closely related to, if not the cause or Tajic taking Izzet property.

The Infinite Consortium.


	9. Looking For Answers

"I must say, I had my doubts, but I'm glad to see you've overcome them, Beleren." Jace suppressed a glower as he watched Niv-Mizzet chuckle. Today, he'd chosen a different meeting place: the library. It was odd to see the place so regularly visited by students to be totally void of life. And it was almost offensive to have the one place he and Liliana ever shared conversation other than the infirmary to be soiled by the dragon's presence. He sat upon one of the tables just beneath a beam of sunlight proudly, concentration focused on a thick, science-related text he held aloft. In fact he was surrounded by them, practically devouring them with his eyes as he flipped page after page in the space of seconds.

Jace had to admit, he despised the Izzet Guild leader, but his mental abilities were something to stand in awe in when looking at him objectively.

"You aren't going to spring another task on me, are you?" Jace asked, tone low and threatening. Niv-Mizzet laughed- a jubilant exclamation that echoed through the nearly-empty room occupied by nothing but books, him, Jace and Ral Zarek, who was reading himself, but hardly with the ferocity his higher-up was. He joined in with Niv, adding his own, mocking chuckle.

"Not at the moment, no, so you can relax... again, for the moment." Niv sneered. "I can't promise we won't be needing your powers again- or that anyone won't. There isn't a guild at this school who won't require the aid of a man who can read minds without detection and clear memories like they never even were there, without so much as a trace. You're a valuable item, Mister Beleren, And there isn't a man or beast on earth that can keep themselves from desiring anything of value."

Jace narrowed his eyes, unable to summon up anything else in response aside from a look of distaste towards the disguised dragon. Because, as much as he hated it, Niv-Mizzet was right. Had there been any other mind mage in the school, he wouldn't have to worry. But he was the only one. The only one who could reach into the minds of strangers and learn their deepest, darkest secrets. The only one who could implant false memories that were more real than the owners own recollections. The only one who could convince someone to either make a decision or refute it with nothing but a quick glance. The only one the guilds could turn to- or rather force, to do those things for them. Niv-Mizzet's little errand had only been the beginning, and the sinking feeling in Jace's gut made him realize it was true.

"Now... Is there anything else you wish to share?" Niv-Mizzet asked, setting down yet another finished book and immediately reaching for another one. "Was there anything in Tajic's mind that stood out aside from what you erased that would concern me- Concern Izzet?" Jace thought a moment, considering not saying anything. But maybe, as a guild leader, Niv-Mizzet might, at least, be able to shed some light on what he'd read in Tajic's mind.

"...There was something... unrelated to the steroid, but linked to the thought close enough where I had no choice but to remove it." He began hesitantly. "...The Infinite Consortium."

Niv loudly closed the heavy, leather-bound book, sending a shock-wave through the room as well as a shiver up Jace's spine. The dragon was clearly bothered by the very mention of the fledgling guild, and glared back at Jace with a gaze that would turn a lesser man to stone.

"And you would do well to put that out of your mind." He said in a low growl.

"But... why?"

"It's guild business. It's a mystery to me why it was so closely related to Tajic's discrepancy, but it should be none of your concern as an unaligned nobody. Outside this room, this 'Infinate Consortium" does not exist. It is a matter that should remain within the guilds and not a piece of idle gossip within this school. Do I make myself clear, Jace?"

"I-"

"_Do I make myself clear?" _Embers seemed to glow withing Niv-Mizzet's eyes. Jace gulped, feeling the room grow warmer. He stiffly nodded several times, to which the dragon chuckled, reopening his book.

"Good, then we have nothing more to discuss." He said, a victorious grin on his face as he returned to rapidly turning pages. "See Mister Beleren out, Ral." Immediately, Niv's right-hand-man appeared beside Jace, already starting to herd him toward the door. He shuffled away, looking back at the guild leader who had turned his full attention back to his book. At that moment, Jace Beleren didn't exist, and would only exist again once he was of use to either him or his guild.

"Curious..." Niv mused once Jace has been shewed out. Ral looked back to him, raising an eyebrow as his leader continued to read without pause.

"...What is curious, sir?"

"Tajic wasn't at the meeting concerning the new guild being put together, was he?"

"No, sir, he wasn't. He isn't high up enough in the ranks of Boros to even be aware of it's conception." Ral shook his head.

"Then what, pray tell, was our friend Tajic doing with the Infinite Consortium on the brain? And so closely related to the steroid that, may I remind you, they helped fund the creation of behind closed doors." Niv-Mizzet's voice grew more and more harsh with each passing word. "Either Jace messed up somewhere and Tajic simply knows more about the news regarding this new guild than we thought, or we were set up. We were given the funds to create a steroid by another guild- and albeit they aren't officially apart of the roster, it's still against the rules for one guild to fund another- and that guild in turn, gave Tajic the order to take it."

"But why would they even do that? They'd only be succeeding in making enemies with the guilds before they even became officially one of us- that would be insane." Ral pointed out. "That would practically be... suicide."

"Exactly, and that is why this baffles me so." Niv-Mizzet sighed, placing the now finished book beside him. "The guild was set up by none other than Sarkhan Vol, this school's rule-maker. Would he really be behind something that stretches the rules to such a degree? If the Infinite Consortium truly is behind all this, and this has all just been one, big set up, then he'd be working directly against the rules he and Dean Markov put into place. There is no motive- at least no sane one- or any reason at all for Mister Vol to want to do such a thing."

"Not unless we're looking at all this the wrong way." Ral Zarek mentioned. "Maybe it has nothing to do with Sarkhan Vol, or us, or the infinite Consortium. Maybe it has to do with someone or something we aren't considering."

"How very observant of you, Ral." Niv smirked, picking up yet another book. "Then I task you to use this upcoming holiday weekend with trying to narrow down what that thing or person might be."

"M-Me? What about you? Shouldn't this concern you a little more?" Ral argued. "I've already made plans-"

"Then unmake them. Simple as that." Niv shrugged, opening the volume as he began to flip through it. "I have business of my own that I cannot simply remove myself from. Dragon business- very important."

"Bullshit!" Ral spat before Niv looked up at him, eyes glowing angrily as a growl that echoed all throughout the room escaped his lips.

"You are nothing but a pawn of mine, Ral, no matter your rank in Izzet. And, being such, you will move where and when I tell you. Your mind is one with this guild, as is everyone else's. It's designed so we all know what I need you to know, but it's also there to keep you in your place. Should I desire it, I can cause your brain functions controlling your heart to stop functioning, and have you die in your sleep." Niv-Mizzet threatened. "You, who so willingly handed your brain over to me- to this guild- should serve it knowing that if you don't, you're risking a lot more than just inconveniencing me."

"...My apologies... sir." Ral Muttered, a nervous sweat forming on his brow. "But... why are you telling me this? Over something so inadequate and minor, I don't think-"

"That's the thing, Ral, we've had this conversation many times. But, like I said, just how having your mind within my mental web will allow you and everyone else to be aware of all the things I need you to be, you can also be made _unaware. _And when you leave this library, you'll be made unaware again. But you'll remember fear, and you'll remember you have a task where that fear is stemming from, and I know for a fact you'll get right to it."

Ral Zarek starred at the fearsome guild leader with a look that was a mixture of terror and fury. If Niv-Mizzet had been a lesser beast- had his human form matched what he really was- he would have called down lightening and burned the terror of a creature to ashes. But he was a monster even he couldn't even fathom the thought of standing against. He could easily gobble him up or light his entire body on fire with a single breath, just like in myths of old. Or, it seemed, he could destroy his mind.

"If that's the case, and I'll forget everything once I leave here, tell me about this damn business that's so fucking important!" He spat.

"Hmm, very well. I, and the rest of my dwindling kin, are to meet with the oldest, most powerful dragon on this world. His name is only known by other dragons, and even then, we dare only whisper it. He's rumored to have seen this world fall to ruin and be built back up to the glory you now see. He has seen magics that have been lost to this world and it's people and as such we respect and fear him." Niv-Mizzet verbosely explained. "His name is Nicol Bolas, and he has something very important to share with my kind."

* * *

Jace furiously rubbed his eyes, looking over yet another history book. He'd only been looking through the history section of the library for two days since the beginning of the school's holiday weekend, and he swore the lighting combined with the tiny print in each book (that seemed to grow smaller and smaller the older the books were) was making his vision worse. Standing beside the shelf he had visited many times those past few days, he began to impatiently flip through the pages, trying to locate what he was looking for.

"Guildpact..." He muttered. That one, single word had become the bane of his existence almost. He had no idea why in the world he'd decided to start in history, but he figured the word had ties to something that happened in the past, judging by what he could only describe as that haunting that had gone down the night he mind-wiped Tajic.

Sadly, even after all his searching, he'd come up a lot shorter than he'd hoped. The only mention of "guildpact" he'd come across was in one of the few books about the history of the academy (which, apparently, came highly recommended when he inquired about history books and said he wasn't looking for anything too specific). Apparently it referred to the set of rules put in place for and followed by the guilds to maintain order. It made sense, but it really wasn't all that satisfying an answer. Something told him the word was a lot more than just a code of conduct for the school's guild members. It had carried a lot more weight when he had heard it.

Paying his tiring legs a little mind, he took the book he was leafing through along with a few others, and headed back to the main chamber of the library where he could find seating- and plenty of it. The library was completely empty, devoid of all life but himself. Everyone else seemed to have taken advantage of the long weekend and had gone home- either to reclaim items they had left behind (which Gideon said was his case, something about having left a very important part of his speakers at home. Chandra cleared things up, saying he was probably just homesick, and didn't want to say so) or to escape being on campus. Jace however, had things he needed to look into- that and his own, personal reasons. Home wasn't exactly a very viable option of places for him to go to.

Jace sat down at one of the round tables and chose from one of the books in his small stack. It was a history of Ravnica, the small city that the academy found itself, but the book itself was rather thin and didn't look like it would yield any new information. Still, he didn't want to take any chances and potentially miss something, so with a shrug he began to flip through. It looked like a research book for middle-schoolers. Jace immediately regretted his choice.

"Reading, even on break. How very studious." Someone commented mockingly, drawing Jace from his reading. He gasped, looking up to see a girl he'd never seen before looming over him, nothing short of a sly smile on her face. Her choice of clothes was nothing but an endless sea of leather, chains and other accessories that made her look like she was either there to beat him up or take something of value from him. Or both. Half her head was shaved, while the rest of her hair was tossed to one side and dyed an unnatural shade of red. She had enough piercings to make Jace uncomfortable- a feat he never figured anyone would be able to reach

"...Um..." Jace began, not exactly sure what to say to the girl. In response she pulled away, looking like she was about to laugh.

"Not much a conversationalist, are you?"

"Who _are_ you?"

"Oh, where are my manners?" She laughed, not seeming at all as awkward as Jace felt. "The name's Baltrice. No need to tell me your name, though, I already know who you are." She reached out, resting her hand on the back of his chair and leaning on it. The furniture piece creaked and groaned under the strain.

"From _where_?" Jace asked, leaning away a bit. She smelled like smoke, like she'd been through a couple packs of cigarettes just that morning or had taken a walk through a forest fire.

"From Sarkhan Vol, of course. He's already approached you, and I know you made him very well aware you weren't all that interested, but as simply a humble member of the Infinite Consortium, I thought I'd do my duty in trying to persuade you otherwise."

"Oh, so you're one of them, huh?" He asked her, cocking an eyebrow curiously.

"You speak of us as if we're not to be trusted." Baltrice observed coldly.

"Well you and all the other guilds." He retorted.

"Jace, Jace, Jace, we're nothing like the rest of the rest of the guilds at this school, I assure you." Baltrice shook her head, leaning in even closer. The smell of smoke that lingered around her almost seemed to sap the air from around them, making it difficult for Jace to breath. "What would I, or any of us, have to do to convince you of that?"

"Explain what you had to do with what happened between the Izzet guild and Tajic, of Boros." Jace said almost immediately.

"My, seems like you've been sitting on that one for a very long time. Just waiting to jump at the chance to ask about that, hmm?" Baltrice smirked.

"Your guild was present in Tajics mind in the same place where his memories of stealing a powerful steroid from Izzet were. I can only assume it was because you had something to do with it."

"Just stirring up a little trouble within the guild system, is all. We give Izzet funds to create a steroid, we give Tajic, of Boros, means and reason to take it- both of which are acts that are frowned upon in the guild system." Baltrice practically mused. "Had you not stepped in and handled everything for them, it would have stirred things up quite a bit."

"How, exactly, is that supposed to persuade me?"

"Because I'm being honest with you, Jace. I'm sure you asked that grumpy dragon Niv-Mizzet about what we had to do with this, and I'm sure he turned you down. The guilds shroud themselves in mystery and falsehoods. We, or the Infinite Consortium would _never _lie to you."

"Is that so?" Jace asked, sounding doubtful. "So why are you trying to stir something up between Boros and Izzet."

"Well, really, we could have chosen anyone, but we just wanted either guild to get into trouble with the staff. Should they be forced to halt activities, that will be one less guild to compete against." Baltrice told him, a toothy grin spread across her lips.

"What do you mean 'compete against'...?" Jace questioned, but before Baltrice could answer, to doors to the library swung open and a third person joined them. Baltrice pulled away from Jace's chair, looking up with him the greet whoever it was who had entered.

"Why if it isn't Miss Vess!" Baltrice greeted Liliana, sounding oddly sharp. Her half smile/ half smirk was still on, but she narrowed her eyes, like she had simply insulted her with her presence. Liliana returned the gesture, stopping in her tracks unable to decide if she wanted to continue approaching them, or leave the room.

"Ah, Liliana!" Jace smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "You're here, too?"

"Seems we all have nowhere better to be." Liliana sighed as Baltrice began to take her leave, roughly nudging Liliana with her shoulder as she passed her, causing her to nearly lose her balance. Both of them threw angry glances over their shoulders at one another, but said nothing.

"So, what did _she_ want?" Liliana asked, sounding miffed. "Did she come here trying to hit on you?"

"Wh-Wh- no!" Jace shook his head. "No, nothing like that at all!"

"Wow, you sure are putting a lot of energy into denying that." She laughed. "Don't worry, I'm sure she didn't come here to do anything of the sort. Everyone knows she's into older men anyway."

"She what?"

"Yeah, apparently she had this crazy fling with Mr. Rakdos- the physical education teacher- and almost got him fired last year. I wasn't apart of any social circles and no one was talking to me at the time, so I can't really give any juicy details other than he wasn't fired and she wasn't punished." Liliana went on to explain, throwing the shoulder bag she had on her over a chair and sitting beside Jace.

"Really..." Jace mumbled as he looked up in the direction Baltrice had vanished.

"So, what did she want if not to flirt shamelessly with you?"

"O-oh... Just guild stuff. Nothing all that important."

* * *

"I knew I'd find you here." Baltrice smirked as she poked her head into the metal-working classroom. The walls were lined with different stations, each equipped with an air filter and blow torch. The air of the classroom permanently smelled of sulfur, dust and cigarette smoke, the later being because of the shop teacher's habit of smoking in the classroom. He'd been a teacher there for several years, and was a war veteran on top of that. No one was going to tell him no. Not Baltrice anyway. Her lips that were usually perpetually frowning smirking were drawn up into a smile to greet that very man who was, as always, smoking. "Tezzeret."

For a girl who dressed like she was tougher than most boys who attended the school, her voice saying his name was incredibly warm, and it was enough to make Tezzeret raise his head. He clicked his tongue, took a long, healthy drag of his cigarette and blew a thick cloud of smoke into the air as she waltzed into the room.

"Isn't it a holiday?" He asked her gruffly. "I figured you'd be more than glad to get out of this place."

"Home's not really all that pleasant." She explained, "I'd rather be here."

"Is that so..." He sighed, puffs of smoke exiting his lips with each word.

"What about you, huh? Why are _you_ here, old man?" She addressed him teasingly.

"I've got nothing better to do- same as you." Tezzeret shrugged, reaching up and plucking his cigarette from his lips with his one, organic hand. The other, a twisted, metallic form meant to replace the one he'd lost in combat, was made of etherium, a rare element only artificers like him could make use of and shape. It was workable and moved just like any regular hand, but he preferred not using it.

"Hey, I'll have you know I'm here on Consortium business." Baltrice corrected in a huff.

"Really? What did Bolas ask you to do this time?" He asked, practically spitting the dragon's name. He had a lot to thank the beast for- now, and in the future- but that didn't take away from the fact that, from an outsiders perspective, Nicol Bolas was a monster through and through. It was simply for safety's sake that he'd chosen to take the creature up on his offer and work below him.

"Just plant some seeds in Beleren's mind, that's all. I finished up the job, so I figured I'd come find you." She explained, taking a seat next to him on the table he was sitting on. She swung her feet back and fourth a couple of times in an uncharacteristically cute manner. She only acted this way around him, and it made him wonder what her real personality even was.

"I hope he knows what he's having us do. We're not allowed to directly influence the boy until the maze has been unsealed." Tezzeret grumbled, placing his cigarette back between his lips.

"Don't worry, what I said wasn't pushing things. We won't have Mr. Markov breathing down our throats any time soon." Baltrice reassured him, digging through the pockets of her baggy pants before pulling out a crumbled soft pack of her own cigarettes.

"You know, you're way too young to be smoking." Tezzeret scolded, doing nothing to stop her as she reached in and pulled out a single cigarette with her mouth.

"And you're not allowed to be smoking indoors, and especially in here." Baltrice fired back, her words muffled as she concentrated keeping her cigarette between her lips. She looked around on her person for a few, unsuccessful seconds before she sighed.

"Hey, let me borrow a light." She told him.

"You're a pyromancer, Baltrice, what in the world could you possibly need a lighter f-" Before Tezzeret could finish, Baltrice leaned in, lightly pressing the tip of her cigarette still clenched between her lips against his, inhaling and using his already-lit cigarette to light her own. She leaned back once she'd gotten a good enough light, took a drag and blew smoke through her nose, a proud smile on her face. Tezzeret looked away, not wanting the young girl to see the fact she'd made him blush.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist." She chuckled. "I've always wanted to try that."

"...Just don't do it again." Tezzeret mumbled.

"Not without permission." Baltrice added with a smile, taking a long drag and exhaling a puff of smoke into the air. "If you want me to do that, or anything for that matter, all you need to do is ask me."

* * *

Jace and Liliana stood at the doorway of the library that led outside. Through the glass door, they could see an almost wall of water falling from the sky, coating the windows and warping the images of the rain-drenched world outside. Clouds had been hanging low all morning, brushing the tops of buildings, and it had been only a matter of time before it did rain, but neither of them were expecting such a torrent. Evidence of that was made by the fact neither of them had an umbrella.

"My apartment's all the way on the other side of the campus!" Liliana cursed. "By the time I get back, I'll be soaked to the bone!"

"You don't live in the dorms?" Jace questioned. She chuckled in response, like his question had amused her.

"Jace, if most of the school thought you were lower than dirt, would you really subject yourself to living with the whole lot of them?" She asked. He looked back at her apologetically, not sure what words to dredge up in response. "No, I live in an apartment complex nearby that I could afford. It's the same one Emmara lives at, so at the very least I'm not lonely..."

Jace looked back out into the pouring rain, his heart racing. His mind had prepared words, and in the course of their short conversation he'd probably gone over them dozens of times. It was a simple suggestion, but the thought of being turned down and looking like a creep. But, as Liliana went to open the door, he suddenly found worlds of motivation to speak.

"Liliana, wait!" He urged just a little too loudly. She paused, looking back at him. "...The dorms I live at are pretty close to here. If you want, we can wait out the storm there. I mean... hardly anyone is there, and I'm sure what little people there are left there are out this time of day, so..." Maybe the comment that they would most likely be alone wasn't such a good idea. "I mean... there would be no one there to harass you."

Liliana turned back outside thoughtfully. She was probably weighing her options, Jace figured, between running home through the storm and being trapped in a nearly-empty dormitory with him. The fact it was taking her so long to decide was what was killing him.

"A-And... it's really dangerous to walk around in this kind of weather." He added, suddenly growing serious. "I... know from experience."

"Ha, it's cute that you worry about me. _Someone _has to." She chuckled, reaching out and playfully ruffling his hair. Jace was more than happy to let her. "And fine, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to stay at your place until the rain stops. But only until then, okay?"

"S-sure! Yeah!" Jace nodded, putting every inch of energy into trying desperately not to look overexcited. "I mean yeah, sure... that's cool." Liliana snorted, going back to opening the library door.

"Get ready to run then. The less time we spend getting drenched, the better."


	10. Memories and Rain

The dorms might as well have been abandoned. From the lobby to the stairwell to the corridor leading to Jace's dorm room, neither him or Liliana had caught sight of anyone. Jace, at least, figured they would have to duck around corners or hide to avoid at least one person, but it seemed like even the staff who monitored the building were even gone. It seemed as if it were just him and Liliana in the dormitory building together. No one to interrupt them. No one to hear them.

He shook his head vigorously to keep from having his thoughts grow any more lewd and went back to searching for towels in the small bathroom attached to the room. The last thing he wanted was to take advantage of her, especially since he couldn't tell what she was thinking. Out of habit he cast his mind into the other room, but it might as well have been uninhabited by how quiet it was. For once, the silence he got from Liliana's mind was worrisome instead of attractive. He had no idea if inviting her up to his deserted dorm room alone was making her suspicious.

"So this is Gideon's infamous sound system?" She called from the room. "I've only ever heard about it... or heard it. Across the campus."

"Yeah, it's his pride and joy." Jace chuckled as he joined her, handing her a towel. Her clothes were absolutely soaked, like his, and were clinging tight to her body. He hadn't taken the time to turn on the lights in the room, and the light from the windows only provided a dim glow, but he could just make out the outline of her bra underneath her wet clothes. Nervously, he turned to the speakers, trying to calm himself down. "He stands right about here and just turns it on full blast. I'm amazed it doesn't do anything to his ears."

"He just likes the rush of being surrounded by noise. It's his really unsubtle way of blocking out the rest of the world. You know he's had a bad day when he does it... of course, when we were still friends, he did us all a favor and just wore noise-canceling headphones." Liliana took the towel Jace offered and draped it over her shoulders. "The fact he needs a sound system that's probably against the rules to even keep must mean he's gotten a lot worse."

"Man, listening to you talk about them makes me realize I really hardly know Chandra or Gideon." Jace shook his head in defeat. "It's nice though: that you remember everything about them like you do even though you're not speaking. I'll never really have that. Everyone who could possibly remember me either thinks I'm a freak or has been forced to forget. I guess that's what I get for thinking I could live my life like a regular human. Where I stood I had everything to lose if anyone ever found out, even my parents."

"Jace..." Liliana began, her voice brimming with emotion. Jace sharply inhaled, trying to shake whatever negative thoughts had clung to him like a thick stink.

"A-Anyway, you should probably change out of those wet clothes. We can use the laundry room downstairs to dry them!" He told her a little too enthusiastically as he began to search through his dresser for something for her to wear.

"Jace, I-"

"Here, this should do for now." He interrupted her, tossing her a pair of boxer shorts and a jersey he'd hung onto. She caught them clumsily, looking a little miffed he wasn't letting her speak. She sighed through her nose, tucking the boxers under her arm and unfolding the jersey.

"Did you play sports back in norm school?" She asked, holding the jersey aloft.

"No, one of my friends was on the lacrosse team. I kind of held onto that as a keepsake." Jace explained, searching for clothes for himself to wear. He'd been so distracted by trying not to stare at Liliana's wet form and keeping her from digging deep into wounds he still wanted to heal he'd completely forgotten he was just as soaked as her.

"Did he give it to you when you were transferred?" She asked. Jace paused, taking in a long, soothing breath as he tightly closed his eyes.

"...More or less..."

"Rhoka..." Liliana read aloud as the ran her fingers over the rubbery print on the back of the jersey.

"Yeah, that was his name... Kallist Rhoka." Jace said, his shoulders slumping.

"You're... using the past tense." Liliana noted, furrowing her brow in worry. Jace didn't look back at her, only remained hunched over the drawer, staying perfectly still. "Jace... what happened at your old school?"

"Nothing!" Jace snapped, causing Liliana to jump and back away a bit. "...Nothing. Nothing happened..."

"Jace-"

"You should probably change out of those wet clothes before you catch a cold." Jace interrupted, his tone low and dark as he stood after grabbing a few random pieces of clothing for himself. "You can change in here. I'll give you some privacy." He briefly met her eyes, and he could tell she wanted to pry. She wanted desperately to know what had happened, but held herself back. Her eyes pitied him, although she hadn't the slightest idea what for. He turned sharply away from her and walked back to the bathroom, closing the door before weakly leaning against it and sliding down to the floor.

It was only a jersey- it was only a name. But it dredged up a lot more than Liliana or anyone would ever know.

He sat in silence, listening to the sound or rain pattering against the window outside and the sensual sound of Liliana changing just beyond the bathroom door. If he were bolder, and didn't have as loud a conscience as he did, he could have stolen a look. Instead he closed his eyes, trying to burry memories that had begin to resurface despite his best efforts.

"_Kallist! Kallist! Shit, Kallist!" _

"Jace?" Jace gasped, hearing someone softly and cautiously call his name. His head snapped up and he looked to the door.

"Y-Yeah?"

"I'm done changing." It was Liliana, and by the sound of it she was right there at the door. "Are you okay in there? You've been in there for a while."

"I-I'm fine!" Jace stammered, standing up quickly and nearly falling over as he began to frantically change. Had he really been in there that long? "I'll be right out!"

"Okay..." Liliana answered, sounding both worried and doubtful.

It only took Jace a few, clumsy seconds to change into dry cloths and practically barrel through the bathroom door. Liliana was there waiting for him, practically draped in the jersey he'd given her. It drifted just past the bottom of the boxers, giving the illusion she wasn't wearing anything below the jersey at all. Her long, slender legs were completely visible passed the jersey's hem, and she'd somehow managed to find a hair tie and had pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail. For a brief moment all of Jace's anxieties and worries were chased away by his inner struggle not to stare.

"Jeeze, took you long enough." She joked, wiping the worried look from her face to grin. "What, did you take a nap in there?"

"No I..." Jace paused. "I... was just thinking, that's all."

"About what?" Liliana dared to ask. Jace bit his lip. There were so many responses he could possibly use to that question. It hurt just thinking about them- to even consider speaking them. He wished he could wipe his own mind of it all, but he was too much a coward to touch his own thoughts and wipe away the memories that were treasured as much as they were painful. He wished he had the courage to forget.

"Nothing important" He shrugged. "Just some stuff that happened a while ago." He looked to the wet clothes she held in her arms and nodded towards them.

"Let's take those to the laundry room so you don't have to walk around in my boxers for longer than you need to." He forced a chuckle, heading for the door. He half expected Liliana to say something- to continue to pry, but instead she simply followed quietly behind. The silence was welcomed as much as it was worrisome. He refused to look back at her as the two of them headed down the corridor and to the stairwell.

Could she sense it, he wondered, as they walked down to the basement of the dormitory, the anxiety drifting off of him? Could she tell there was something he was holding back with a white knuckled grip? It was that damn jersey, once he unburied it from his other effects, he'd also uncovered memories he'd been trying to keep deep down. And now it was hanging loosely off the form of the girl he wasn't even sure how he felt for, silently reminding him, cruelly reminding him.

"...Jace." Liliana's voice cut through the silence occupied by their footsteps and the sound of rain. He stopped, noticing she had paused as well, and looked over his shoulder, trying to swallow the lump in his throat and hold back any sort of telling emotion.

"There's been something I've been meaning to ask you... about what Niv-Mizzet said in the infirmary." Jace knew exactly to what she was referring. The one, single time he'd shown that there was anything in his past worth covering up and regretting. When his anger and sadness and frustration caused him to stand up to the creature who could easily terrify him on normal occasions. It was only a matter of time before someone brought that up. "About mind-wiping... If it's a story you'd rather not share..."

Jace considered taking up her small offer to not tell her. It seemed incredibly tempting just to shrug it off and tell her that, yes, he didn't want to share it. But she looked back at him with a look that no one had spared him when the memory was a moment that was unfolding before his eyes. She was worried for him, curious about him. What was the point of keeping things from her, a girl who, like him, was a monster in her own right, as far as the rest of the non-magic world was concerned? A voice in his head whispered for him to tell her.

"...If I tell you, could you share something with me?" He asked. Much to his surprise, she looked back him for a split second in what could only be described as fear. Wide eyes, and a mouth half open, urging him not to, but they were hidden away before he had a chance to point them out. "It's about what happened between you and Chandra's brother last year. I've heard every side of the story but yours, and up until now I've been holding myself back from asking. If I tell you what landed me here, could you tell me what happened?"

"O-Of course." She nodded, the relief in her eyes bothering Jace more than it should have.

"Let's continue this in the laundry room. It's a pretty long story." He told her, continuing to lead her around the winding corridors of the basement until they arrived at their destination. It was a small, unfinished room with concrete floor and walls, pipes and boards exposed on the ceiling. There were only two of both the washer and dryer, and on a regular day there would have been a line to wash or dry clothes. With the lack of students currently in the dormitory, however, the laundry room was deserted, just like everywhere else.

"Jace, if you don't want to talk about it, it's really okay." Liliana said as he opened up the dryer for her. "You don't have to..."

"No, it's fine. I need to get this all off my chest before I explode." Jace shrugged, shutting the door of the dryer and feeling the machine a token he had on his person once he'd turned all the nobs in the right spots, starting it. The loud rumble filled the entire room, forcing them both to raise their voices just a little. Jace pulled himself on top of the shaking machine and Liliana mimicked him, sitting atop the machine opposite.

"Well, we can't be having that..." Liliana sighed.

"Before I came here, no one had any memory of my being a mage. Not my friends, or my teachers- not even my parents. My powers were an anomaly, and I had no idea where they came from, but I more or less taught myself, starting with the ability to wipe the minds of people. I didn't want anyone finding out, and didn't want to be sent away. I grew up watching my friends and teachers be shipped away to places like these when they were found out- uprooted from their place of comfort simply for being attune to mana. I didn't want that, so I trained myself to make sure anyone who found out would forget." Jace began. "I even mind-wiped my own parents. They were the first to find out about my powers, and they were the ones who I had to make forget the most.

"But there was one person who's mind I couldn't touch- who I could trust with the truth. He was my best friend, and the only thing anchoring me to the normal, non-magic world that kept me from giving up and letting myself be taken away. His name was Kallist, and he thought my powers were interesting instead of frightening like everyone else. He was the only person I could really open up around. He was, truly, the only person who knew the real me. He was the only thing keeping me sane."

"What happened to him?" Liliana dared to ask. Jace felt his heart sink as he considered her question as the reminiscing smile he had unknowingly been wearing transformed slowly into a frown. "S-Sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"No, don't apologize. I would have had to get to this part in the story anyway." Jace shrugged weakly. "Kallist... is dead. It was a rainy night, like today, and we had been out celebrating the lacrosse team's most recent victory. Neither of us knew it was the last time we'd ever speak to one another, or that we'd never see one another after that, so we didn't really do anything meaningful or say anything to each other I can really remember. The only thing about that night that stands out in my mind was..." Jace looked down at his hands, clenching and unclenching them. "That moment... those terrifying, helpless seconds. Kallist was laughing at something I said, and stepped off the sidewalk to cross the street just as a drunk driver swerved in our direction. Had he not pushed me out of the way, it would have been both of us struck by that car... instead I came to to find myself alone.

"I honestly thought everyone was joking and over-reacting when they told me he'd died It didn't really, truly hit me until his funeral. It was a closed-casket affair, so didn't even get to see his face one last time. It's the most painful feeling to be able to read minds and to know that, no matter how far into your friend's mind you reach, you'll never hear their thoughts again. Kallist's thoughts were always so loud, almost overwhelming, but that day, when I looked down at that box covered in flowers, there was nothing. There was nothing to feel. He was... an inanimate objects without a single, telling thought. Just... gone."

"What... happened after that?" Liliana asked hesitantly.

"I sort of locked myself away for a while, every once in a while casting my mind out towards the places Kallist used to be, hoping and wishing that I'd simply been dreaming and I'd hear his thoughts. All I ever found were other people, strangers mourning him and missing him and reminding me that Kallist was no longer around. It was as if everyone in the world existed only to remind me of that fact. I started using my magic a lot more liberally, hoping I'd be caught and sent away. It just goes to show how alone I was without Kallist, because no one caught on. I was trapped in a world where people looked at me and thought about _him._ They all thought about him, even if they never mentioned him.

"It was near the end of the year when I was finally discovered. The man who had struck Kallist with his car had been taken to court for the death of their son, but he'd been let off with nothing but bills he had to pay and a license he could no longer use. That wasn't punishment enough, everyone thought so, especially me. So I found him, conjured up every illusion and spell to scare him half to death, cornered him, and tore apart his mind. I wasn't going to anything specific, I just reached in and tore everything apart. I've never been so angry, or have used my powers to do someone harm like that. I even made sure he felt me reach into his thoughts and crush every precious memory and thought in his head. I left him nothing but a drooling, shaking husk.

"I never really checked for surveillance where I finally got my revenge on the man who took away the only person in my life who knew the real me, so of course, naturally, everything I did to him was caught on tape. There had even been witnesses. It became a gigantic deal, and I was considered horribly dangerous. They weren't even taking the option to send me here or any other school for magic-folk- they wanted to send me to prison. Had Mister Markov not stepped in, I would be behind bars right now. But I left behind a world where everyone feared and hated me- even my parents. Someone who can hear every thought in your head and uncover every secret you've ever kept should be feared, though. Someone who can turn you into a vegetable in a matter of seconds should be hated. And the only person who could have convinced them all otherwise- who knew and didn't fear my powers- was dead."

Jace paused, noticing his vision had blurred. The sensation of something splashing against his tightly clench fists brought him around, and he came to realize he'd been crying. Grunting angrily at himself, he furiously wiped at his eyes, trying to rub the tears away. Again he was forced to remember that, where he came from, he was nobodies friend. He was nobodies son. Jace Beleren, the mind mage, was nobody the the world outside Ravnica Academy. He might as well have simply died that day with Kallist. Maybe that was the story his parents and friends were telling to explain what had happened to him. To them, he was better off dead.

"I had every intention of keeping myself locked away from this school. I didn't want to make any friends, or get to know anyone. I intended to live out my life here as if I'd been given a prison sentence. And... in a way, I was scared to befriend anyone else. My closest, deepest friendship had been taken from me so easily... I didn't want to live through all that again."

"Jace..."

"But then I met you, and Emmara. I met Gideon and Chandra- people who accepted me regardless of who or what I was, without a second thought. People like you, who looked at me and just saw some socially awkward dork who can't even introduce himself right instead of some dangerous, mind-destroying monster. I realized how much I missed that. I'd lost the only person who knew about my powers and didn't care, and suddenly I was surrounded by those people. I realized how lonely I was, and I realized how much I hated it. Kallist... he wouldn't want me to live my life in seclusion like I had planned.

"So I opened up... and honestly I'm really glad I did. I'm glad I met Gideon and Chandra and Emmara. And I'm glad I met you, Liliana."

"...Wow..." Liliana muttered uncomfortably, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm flattered. It's been a long time since someone's been _glad _to have met me."

"I really am." Jace assured her, wipng his eyes one last time before smiling at her. "I'm glad I met you most of all." A blush appeared on Liliana's pale cheeks as she turned away, thumping her foot rhythmically against the machine she was perched on.

"Flattery is going to get you nowhere, Beleren." She smirked.

"Yeah, I know..." Jace chuckled weakly, feeling his spirits lift a bit. "So what about you? What's your story?"

"My... Story?"

"What happened last year with you and everyone else, remember?"

"O-Oh! Right!" Liliana nodded, seeming oddly relieved again. "Gods, making me follow up that sob story- you're a real bastard, you know?"

"Sorry, sorry..." Jace chuckled weakly. Liliana heavily sighed, taking a few seconds to gather her thoughts.

"So I figure by now that you know I'm what they call a 'free agent': someone who takes jobs from guilds when they don't want to do them." she began. "Last year, Azorius took advantage of this, and called me to look into Chandra's brother, who they suspected was practicing forbidden forms of magic on campus. I knew he was, because he'd told me, and maybe they even knew. But, like you probably know, he was the school's pride and joy, and for one of the top guilds to send him away on the grounds of him dabbling in magic he shouldn't have, it would have caused a big controversy. So they chose me- a cruel, sadistic choice if you ask me."

"Why... did you take the job? He was your friend and trusted you with the information he'd given you?" Jace pried. Liliana groaned, slamming her hands roughly against the machine she was sitting on.

"Gods, just let me fucking finish, would you!" She snapped. "No one wants to look past the fact that I sold my friend out and betrayed him! No one wants to consider I didn't do this all in cold blood! I'm so sick of it!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like I was accusing you!" Jace defended himself, flinching. "It's just... all I've heard."

"No surprise. Azorius practically ensured it." Liliana muttered bitterly. "No one knows that they made me choose between betraying my friends, or all of us getting expelled for conspiring against the school with Chandra's brother. Had I not done what I did, Chandra and Gideon would have had their academic record destroyed. Those bastards in Azorius played dirty, and they knew it.

"I initially tried to explain myself, but no one would answer. If they just took their fingers out of their ears and listened to me, maybe they would understand what I did. But no one wants to see passed the fact I got Chandra's brother expelled. I don't think of myself as noble for what I did and what I sacrificed... I just don't think of myself as the evil, treacherous bitch everyone thinks I am now. I did what I did to keep my friends from suffering. And Chandra's parents are non-magic users. I didn't want to have her sent back and forced back into that world where she's treated like a leper."

"...I could help you." Jace offered. "They might not listen to you, but Gideon and Chandra might lend an ear to me, if you want."

"That's really sweet of you, really... but maybe it's best that I have as few friends as possible." Liliana sighed. "Them keeping me at a distance is going to prove to be beneficial for them in the end."

"What do you... mean by that?" Jace asked, but Liliana only shook her head.

"That's a story for another day, Jace." She told him in a warning tone. "We had an agreement, and I've told you what you wanted to know. I'm not obligated to let you in any more than that." Jace looked back at her in defeat. Even if he could read her mind, he wouldn't be able to bring himself to. Personal matters were things for people to tell themselves, and as much as he wanted to know, he knew it was bets not to pry and to simply wait for the day when she'd be comfortable enough with him to share what she was keeping quiet about.

"I can wait." He told her, giving her a reassuring grin. "I'll just have to stick around until you're comfortable enough with telling me."

"Gods..." Liliana muttered, a slight smile on her face. "You know, for someone who prides himself for being brainy, you can be a real hard-headed idiot sometimes."

The two of them spoke until Liliana's clothes had dried. And by the time they returned to the room and allowed her to change back, the rain had finally stopped and the clouds began to break, letting rays from the setting sun warm the practically flooded campus grounds.

"Looks like I'm free to go." Liliana confirmed when they arrived back at the lobby. "Thanks... for sharing all that stuff with me. I bet sharing something that sad was really hard."

"Yeah, but I don't mind, so long as it's you. I needed to tell someone, anyway- needed to exorcize those demons." Jace chuckled. Liliana joined him, seeming a little uncomfortable. "Thanks for listening."

"Well, I should probably get going before people show up. If you're found here with me, there's no doubt people are going to try and crucify you." She joked, starting to leave. Before she could go, though, Jace reached out and stopped her, gently grabbing her wrist. He looked to the dormitory bulletin board, noting one of the larger posters left there. It was about the school's upcoming dance, and he remembered why he'd been hoping to run into Liliana that weekend.

"Hold up a second..." He said, trying his hardest to summon the words. "The... the fall dance coming up... do you want to go... like together?" He held his breath, waiting for her response. She sighed, shaking her head.

"Sorry, Jace, I'd love to, but dances really aren't my thing. Maybe some other time..."

"It's okay, I kind of figured I'd get turned down." Jace laughed uncomfortably, looking dejected. Liliana sighed, feeling a little bit bad. He'd just told her probably the one most sad moment in his life, and here she was, turning him down. There was really no way she'd be able to bring herself to go with him to the dance full of people who would probably chase her from the vicinity with knives and pitchforks, though. But, at the very least, she could try and make him feel better.

"Come here..." She muttered, reaching up and moving his bangs from out of the way of his forehead. Leaning in, she pressed her lips gently against his head, kissing him affectionately. He stumbled back in surprise, fingers lightly touching where she had kissed and looking back at her like she'd just jumped and scared him.

"Heh, bye Jace." She chuckled, watching his entire face grow redder and redder. "I'll see you at the library tomorrow?"

"..." Jace stared back at her, only able to utter choked, surprised gasps.

"Good." she smiled before turning around and raising her hand in goodbye. "It's a date then."


	11. Open Up and Shut Out

It was an awful day to be downtrodden, that was for sure. After what seemed like an endless onslaught of rain, the clouds had finally cleared, making way for blue skies, sunshine and temperatures that were the very definition of perfect. But Jace couldn't help but hang his head and heavily sigh, as if it were still raining.

He sat on the bleachers of the football field, watching the team practice. So much of his time lately had been taken by doing odd jobs for guilds that he'd hardly been able to hang out with either Gideon or Chandra. And he only ever saw Liliana in the library, where a lot of his focus was dedicated to uncovering the mysteries of whatever the "guildpact" was. Between school and being sent on tasks for guilds who knew just how to manipulate him, he'd hardly found even a whiff of a hint.

The tasks and missions he had been sent on that past week hadn't been as big and over the top as his first- finding out if a student had been cheating on their exams, retrieving knowledge about pop quizes, making teachers who fully intended to punish guild members forget all about their punishment, things of that nature- but they'd come in droves without so much as a relent. He believed Niv-Mizzet when he told him he'd be wanted, but now he was really starting to feel used. Sitting there on the bleachers, heavy head held up by upturned hands, he felt absolutely spent. So spent he could hardly even be thankful for having some time off.

"Yo!" Jace lifted his head as someone energetically addressed him. At first he figured it was just another guild figurehead come to act like his buddy while they propositioned him to use his powers for something worth their time. So naturally he looked up at the speaker with the most annoyed, exhausted look he could muster. Much to his surprise, and regret, it was Chandra, who cast an annoyed glance back in response. "Wow, who shit in _your_ cereal this morning?"

She wore the goggles that really served no purpose but always seemed to have on her person loosely around her neck, a simple, faded, red tank top and old, worn shorts that were starting to become frayed and come undone around the legs. Every single time he saw her, Jace always wondered if Chandra got most her her clothes from the reject bin at a thrift store- the kinds that were just barely unsalvageable enough to be sold.

"Sorry, I... figured you were someone else." He apologized through yet another sigh as he went back to watching the field.

"Well whoever it is, I'd hate to be them them way you looked at me." Chandra joked, taking a seat beside him. "That there's the type of glare that could turn people to stone if they looked for long enough."

"It's the guilds. They have me running every which way and now I'm just physically and mentally wasted." Jace explained.

"Sounds like someone didn't take my advice about staying away from those morons." She scolded. "Now they've got their nasty claws in you, they aren't going to stop."

"Tell me about it..."

Without a word, Chandra reached over, forcing something into his line of vision. It was a tall, perspiring drink can that already appeared to be open, judging by the flipped tab and the lime-colored liquid around the rim.

"Here: an energy drink. I think you need it more than me." She chuckled slightly as Jace slowly, cautiously took it. It was still cold, like she'd only recently gotten it. "I drank a little, I hope that's okay."

"So long as you didn't put anything in it." Jace told her with a smirk before gulping it down. The carbonation was just strong enough to burn his throat, and the flavor wasn't much to his taste, but his tired limbs and heavy eyelids coaxed him into downing it regardless.

"Nonsense. I reserve that kind of behavior for people who I really dislike."

"You mean to say you don't dislike me?" Jace questioned. "I mean, the way you act around me makes me think you still hold a grudge over what happened when we first met. Not to say you didn't deserve a little teasing, I mean, you _did_ steal my wallet."

"You're a giant jerk, but I don't dislike you." Chandra muttered, producing another, similar drink from somewhere on her person. Jace wondered to himself what she was up to that deserved the consumption of two, tall cans loaded with caffeine. He also wondered why she hadn't just given him the unopened one instead of the one she'd already started to drink. "I mean, Gideon thinks you're alright, and he's a pretty good judge of character. I'd say it's a safe call to think of you as a friend."

"O-Oh..." Jace couldn't help but smile a little. Hearing her say it, and in a way like she was embarrassed to have even said those words, made him happy. Friendships had always been difficult to form before he came to the academy. There was always the matter of weeding out the people who could find out about his powers, and the issue that he could never, really trust anyone. Here, bonds like friendship simply happened seamlessly. There was no need to worry about the things that used to keep him up at night before.

"So... what exactly is it that you do?" Jace asked her as he watched the football team. He remembered the sense of inferiority he felt in front of Liliana the weekend before. She knew so much about Gideon and Chandra he didn't, even though he had been accepted into their fold and she had been exiled. There was so much he didn't know about his new friends, seeing as how he was used to keeping people at a distance.

"What do I do?" Chandra parroted, sounding a bit offended.

"I mean, I'm more or less a guild lackey, and Gideon's on the football team." Jace explained himself. "I never really see you doing any sort of extracurricular thing. You're always just walking around by yourself or hanging around Gideon."

"Hmph, I'll have you know I used to do a lot!" Chandra said, pointing at him accusingly. "When Gideon first joined the football team, I thought I'd try to support him. I'd never make it as a cheerleader, so I figured I'd be the mascot of the Ravnica Firebreathers. Of course, I didn't take into account how hot that big ol' dragon costume could be, and the smell that clings to it is so unbearable, I really regretted my decision. So I found my own way out instead of asking to quit." She paused, giggling to herself.

"What did you _do_?" Jace asked, expecting the worst.

"Nothing too big. Let's just say I'm the reason the mascot costume doesn't have individually movable fingers any more." Chandra smirked. Jace rolled his eyes, picturing Chandra running around in a goofy dragon suit, flipping the bird to the opposing team and fans. The thought was enough to make him laugh to himself.

"What about clubs? Surely there's something that interests you."

"Yeah, but a lot of the clubs are run by the guilds, and I try to avoid that slippery slope wherever I can." Chandra muttered. "I was apart of the gardening club for a while, though."

"You? In the gardening club?" Jace couldn't help but ask.

"Hey, shut up! I'm a girl, I can like flowers and stuff like that." Chandra grumbled, giving Jace a shove, causing him to spill some of his drink.

"But are you really?"

"If that's a crack at my figure, Beleren, I'm going to light your 'nads on fire." She threatened, narrowing her eyes.

"Sorry, sorry, continue!" Jace exclaimed, unable to wipe the grin from off his face though.

"Ass..." Chandra mumbled angrily. "Anyway, I wound up getting kicked out after nearly burning down their entire greenhouse. Turns out eggs in a spider's nest hatching in there while I was there wasn't a good enough excuse for why I'd destroyed all their hard work." She shivered, muttering in disgust and terror. "A bunch of teeny- tiny spiders floating everywhere..."

"...So now you..." Jace pried.

"Now I'm not doing anything. I like the freedom of having nowhere to be after class. If I want to go to the diner down the street, I can. If I want to stay up late and get super exhausted, I don't have to worry about any kind of practice or meeting the next day. I can eat, drink and do what I want and not have to worry about setting a bad example." She mused. "I enjoy getting to live for myself. I like coming and going as I please."

"Well aren't you a free spirit?"

"You better believe it!" Chandra grinned, knocking her can against his. "I guess it's sort of something I craved before I came here. Back then I didn't have any freedom at all."

"Hey... how did you and your brother wind up here anyway? If you don't mind me asking, that is!"

"Well, if you're willing to open up and share your story with the class, I'll be more than happy to share." Chandra offered. Jace looked down at his half-consumed energy drink, not feeling all too keen about crying in front of someone in broad daylight in public. But, if it was the only way, he'd simply have to give her the most concise, abridged version he could within the limits he had.

"I manipulated everyone into thinking I wasn't a mage back at my old school and at home. I could have kept going, too, had my friend who knew about my powers not died in a car accident." He explained, concentrating in limiting the amount of emotion he put into his words. If he shared too much, if he let anything spill over too fast, he'd be a huge, emotional wreck with Chandra and the entire football team as an audience to his inner turmoil. "I sort of lost it and found his killer and destroyed his mind without realizing I was being watched. Everyone sort of turned on me after that and threatened me with jail time. Dean Markov sort of gave me a way out and managed to get me transferred here instead of behind bars."

"Is that so..." Chandra said thoughtfully. "Compared to that, my story isn't all that interesting. Me and my brother were just kind of sent here." She paused, taking a sip of her drink. "We came from a big family, and when we discovered our powers, they all sort of ostracized us. We became invisible and we both had to fend for ourselves in our own home. The only time our parents ever paid us any attention was when they shipped us off to Ravnica Academy."

"Didn't you go home last weekend?" Jace questioned.

"Well, yeah. They're still my family." Chandra shrugged, kicking off the worn-down sandals she was wearing and drew her legs close to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. "I only ever see them a few times a year, and now-a-days I just drop by to see if my brother has come back. But I still love my family, even if they're scared of me. I like to think if I keep on giving love, eventually I'll get love back..." She chuckled darkly to herself, shaking her head. "Stupid, huh?"

"...No. That isn't stupid at all." Jace sternly spoke, resting his hand on her shoulder. "The world as we know it could really use people like you. People who try and love people despite their differences..."

"Flattery is going to get you nowhere, dork."

"So I've been told." Jace chuckled as he turned back to the field. Just then, Gideon realized that Chandra had arrived and waved enthusiastically with both arms. "...So what about Gideon? What's his story?"

"His parents were both mages, but they died when he was really young." Chandra explained, waving weakly back at him. She kept a convincing smile while she spoke to keep Gideon from knowing she was sharing something potentially private about him. "He became a ward of the state and spent most of his young life in a magic-folk orphanage. The moment he learned how to make his own decisions, though, he ran away and lived on the streets."

"But... before last weekend you said he was going home and that he was probably homesick." Jace interjected. "So both of you were lying, then?"

"Yes and no. On weekends where we're allowed to leave campus, he goes back to where he grew up and visits his parent's grave. He's also something of a big name at the orphanage he grew up at, even though he ran away. He does a lot of work there whenever he can so kids won't ever feel they need to run away like he did." Chandra sighed. "He's such a nice guy, sometimes I think he isn't even real."

"So how did he end up here?"

"Well, I can only tell you what he told me, but he spent a really long time on the streets- nothing but the clothes on his back and a walkman. He tells me time and again that, if he hadn't had music to block out the things people said about him, he would have gone crazy and hurt someone. If you ever wondered why he insists on listening to his music super, offensively loud, that's why. He does it when he's had a bad day and wants to drown everything out."

Jace noted in his mind that he'd heard those things before from Liliana, but still tried to act like he'd never heard those words before.

"He used his magic to steal a lot of what he needed, and eventually, of course, the idiot was caught. His punishment would have been really sever- since he was a mage abusing his powers to do something illegal- but Dean Markov stepped in an negotiated that he be sent here."

"Does he do that a lot- find young mages on trial and bring them here, I mean?" Jace questioned curiously.

"Yeah, he's sort of famous (or infamous, depending on how you look at it) for giving mages like you and Gideon a second chance." Chandra told him. "People who have used their powers wrongly and would otherwise be put behind bars because of it. That's probably why this school is filled with so many assholes- we're all just a bunch of people who society thinks should be jailed."

"Did you just insinuate that me and Gideon are assholes?" Jace chuckled.

"Maybe." Chandra smiled proudly. "What'cha gonna do?"

"I could make you believe you were a wild ape and have you flailing your arms and thumping your chest all over campus." Jace threw out. "Or anything, really, the possibilities are endless."

"And that's why you're an asshole." Chandra laughed.

"Hey, I never said I was actually going to do it."

"Yeah, but you thought it. You probably think it would be proper funny, too."

"I have to admit, seeing that would be pretty hilarious. And it would definitely humble you."

A silence fell between the two of them as they watched the football team go through the paces of practice. Chandra nervously bit her lip as she laced her fingers through her toes, her legs still drawn close to her chest. Jace couldn't help but notice she looked like she had something to say, but couldn't quite speak whatever words she wanted to voice.

"Chandra?"

"Wh-What!?" She jumped, tensing up.

"Is something wrong?"

Chandra remained silent for a few seconds, nervously fidgeting and opening and closing her mouth several times in a sad attempt to form words. Jace patiently waited, watching her curiously.

"...So... the fall dance is coming up and all..." She began, refusing to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"Do you... I don't know... want to go?" She mumbled, tightly shutting her eyes. "Like... together?"

Had Jace bothered to reach into her mind, he would have known exactly what Chandra was asking. Had he thought of her more than a friend, or had his mind been sharper and not exhausted after a full week of getting ordered around, he would have possibly caught on. But in that moment, Chandra's question only seemed like a harmless, friendly offer. He took no notice to the blush on her cheeks or the panicked, shy side glances. He was still stuck on the fact Chandra had simply referred to him as a friend.

"Hmm? Well, I'm free that day, so I don't see why not." He said with a grin and a shrug.

"R-Really!?" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, sure." Jace laughed, not quite understanding the girl's excitement. "No harm in going... though you never really struck me as the dance type."

"Yeah, well that's because I never had-" Chandra began before Gideon called them from the field.

"Hey, slackers, it's pie time!"

"Looks like it's pie time." Chandra laughed as she stood to her feet. "I swear, every spare moment he has, it's spent eating pie."

"That's pretty accurate." Jace agreed as the two of them traveled down the bleachers to the field. At that moment, nothing seemed at all wrong to Jace. In fact, the entire trip to the diner nothing seemed off to him. Things progressed as normal until they arrived, and Gideon paused, stopping Chandra from following Jace in. Jace curiously waited in the doorway, waiting to see what in the world was going on.

"Yeah?" Chandra asked, seeming impatient.

"Chandra... I was wondering..." Gideon paused, rubbing the back of his neck and stumbling over his words.

"I'm not cleaning out the mold growing in your locker again. That's what you get for leaving your sweaty, dirty socks from practice there." Chandra scolded, groaning.

"No, it has nothing to do with the mold growing in my locker- and that was just one time!" Gideon sighed, reaching out and taking her hand. Chandra looked between him and their hands, her expression slowly growing more and more perplexed and bothered. "Chandra... will you go to the dance with me."

For a second, Jace was proud with his friend. But that second came and went, followed by an overwhelming wave of panic. In those terrifying seconds between Gideon's question and Chandra's inevitable answer, Jace realized exactly had happened, the context of Chandra's question and just how much of a fool he'd been. At that moment, he wanted to vanish and run to anywhere but right beside them.

"I-I'm sorry... Gideon... I'm actually going to the dance with Jace."

Gideon swiftly turned his head to Jace, betrayal, anger and baffled, pained confusion in his eyes. And Jace wasn't sure if he should apologize, brace himself or run frantically away.

"So... How about that pie?"

* * *

"Gideon! I'm sorry!" Jace said for the uncountable time as the two of them walked into their dorm room- rather, Jace walked in, Gideon trudged in, each footstep heavy and loud. "Just listen to me for a second!"

"Sure, I'll listen, but to what? To the fact you _knew_ I like Chandra, and should have _figured_ I was going to ask her to the dance, but you decide to go with her anyway?" Gideon spat back. "Is hanging around Liliana starting to turn you into a traitor, too!?"

"Don't bring Liliana into this, Gideon!" Jace snapped, slamming his fist against the wall. "Could you pull your fingers out of your ears and listen to me for five seconds!?"

"You know what? No! No, I'm done!" Gideon growled. "I'm done with you, I'm done with Chandra- I'm done with everything right now!"

"It was an accident! I wasn't thinking!" Jace shouted just as Gideon turned on and cranked up the volume on his speakers, drowning out everything Jace said as he turned his back to him. "Gods dammit, Gideon! Listen to me!"

Gideon remained faced away from Jace, acting like his friend wasn't even behind him, yelling at the top of his lungs for him to listen. And standing in the wake of Gideon's godly-powerful speakers was starting to overwhelm Jace, and something told him that his friend was much too frustrated and angry to even consider what he was saying to be true. He attempted to get Gideon's attention before giving up entirely, holding his arms up angrily in defeat before turning and leaving the room.

Right outside, he came across Chandra who had just arrived, having followed shortly behind them.

"I-I'm sorry... did I do something wrong?" She asked, sounding painfully guilty. Jace wanted to shout at her- to act as angry as he felt. But the last thing he wanted was for his other friend to be angry with him as well. So, instead, he shook his head.

A darker, furious part of him simply wanted to take Chandra to the dance just to spite Gideon for his comment about Liliana.

"No, you didn't do anything." Jace shook his head. "Gideon's just being an asshole."


	12. Taking Shape

Jace stared back at his expression with a look that was a combination of both nerves and self-loathing. A few days had passed since his and Gideon's fight, and ever since he'd seen less and less of him. The night before he didn't even return to the dorm room. Chandra hadn't seen much of him either, as far as she'd told him, and it seemed she was as unsettled about it as he was. A lot of his free time after school was spent with her, mostly just to hear her bounce between worrying about Gideon or complaining about him. As far as he knew, she knew Gideon was upset, but the reason continued to allude her.

That is what frustrated him most of all. Not that Gideon had nearly vanished, going as far as to not return to their dorm room at night. Not that he wound up having to take Chandra to the dance he'd wanted to take Liliana to. It was the fact that Chandra seemed content with being in the dark about why Gideon was so upset. There had been plenty of times where he just wanted to shout in her face "It's because he loves you!", but always held himself back. The last thing he wanted to do was add more drama to the storm of emotions already doing damage to his life. He really had no right to call her out on not noticing, seeing as he wound up in this situation by also not paying any attention to someone elses feelings.

He sighed and smoothed back his hair, stepping away from the mirror. He wore a blue vest and dress-shirt combo he'd gotten a long time ago if he was ever invited to some sort of formal function. He'd put a surprising lack of effort into getting ready, despite how important the dance was to everyone else. The only person who didn't seem to care was Liliana, who was still unaware Jace was going- and with a date, no less.

Jace took another calming breath, trying to practice not looking like he was getting buried by his problems.

"Just tell her the truth." He told his reflection sternly. "Just tell her you're interested in someone else, and that Gideon is madly in love with her." he sighed heavily through his nose, laughing at himself and shaking his head. He ran his hand through his hair before pressing his palm against his face and groaning angrily into his hand.

A soft knock that grew louder and louder with each, passing pound echoed from his door. Jace looked up expectantly, part of his hoping it was Gideon. Oh, if he could just get off his chest everything that had gathered up those past couple of days...

"Jace! Hey, you in there?" Much to his dismay, from the voice on the other side of the door, Jace knew right away it wasn't Gideon. It was the other half of his problem pounding on his door like she needed desperate access into his room. With one last, exhausted groan, Jace looked back at the mirror, practicing a more relxed, less worried look and went to open the door.

"I'm here, Chandra, I was just... getting... ready..." Up until that point, he'd only ever seen Chandra in clothes that were falling apart, three sizes too large for her or ones made specifically for men. But there she was, standing in his doorway, wearing a form-fitting, simple red gown, her hair done in loose curls. He found himself having to remind himself that this was Chandra- boyish, slouching, rude, abrasive Chandra. Bossy, loud, rough Chandra. Chandra, who his friend really liked. Chandra, who he felt nothing for. He repeated those things to himself over and over while he tried not to stare at the deep V that plunged down her chest or the fact she was wearing makeup.

"You look... nice." He stammered, giving her an approving nod.

"'Nice', Mister Beleren? I didn't devote hours of my time just for a 'nice'." Chandra smirked.

"...You did this all yourself?" Jace asked doubtfully.

"Well, no, my roommate did a lot of it for me. But I had to sit there and let her do all these girly things to me and now I can't rub my eyes or wear my goggles." Jace suppressed a sigh of relief as the Chandra he knew bubbled up to the surface passed the outer shell of makeup and fancy clothes she had on.

"You were _really_ going to wear those goggles?"

"Well yeah, they look really cool!" Chandra proclaimed. "But nooooo, it will mess up my hair." Jace couldn't help but start chuckling to himself as Chandra continued to tear down the walls of femininity someone else had built around her.

"...What? What's so damn funny?"

"Nothing, nothing." Jace said, stifling chuckles unsuccessfully.

"Ass." Chandra muttered. "Come on, or else we're going to be late."

"Wait a second, Chandra." Jace said, following after her. She stopped, whirling around and nearly collapsing in her heels.

"Y-Yeah?"

"...After the dance there's something that I need to tell you." He told her. "It's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while." She looked back at him, wide eyed and blushing.

"...Did I say something wrong."

"No, of course not!" Chandra exclaimed, turning back around to face away from him. "You... you're fine."

* * *

Sarkhan Vol stared down at the event hall from the catwalk above. Students had begin to file in, slowly filling the spacious room and unaware they were being watched. He looked down at them all as if he were looking down at a horde of cockroaches crawling out of a wall. None of them knew- they just went on living their lives, totally unaware that the whole of Ravnica Academy was nothing but a facade and they were nothing but pieces in a game being played by immortal creatures. It hurt him, too, to know he had been brought there only for the sake of the game, but at least he was aware.

At least, in the end, he'd come out on top. The ends would all justify the means.

"Gods, I could be going to the dance, but instead I'm stuck up here with you." A voice complained behind him. He looked over to see Baltrice, sitting on the catwalk and leaning over the railing, allowing her legs to drape over the side. Just a little force could send her over the edge. Too bad she actually had a place in Nicol Bolas' plan and wasn't just another, pointless side piece. He would have killed her a long time ago, what with her attitude, lack of ambition and her annoying ability to whine every single spoken word around him. When everything was all over, then maybe...

"Hmph, I'm sure you wouldn't care as much about missing the dance if Tezzeret was here." Sarkhan vol shrugged, shaking his head. "Although, you would be much too distracted by one another to actually do your work. You and that fool have no drive."

"Shut up, Sarkhan!" Baltrice snapped. It was dark up on the catwalk, facing away from the bright, overhead lights of the dance, but it was obvious she was blushing. "We're working just as much as you are toward getting what we want. Just because you're single and spiteful gives you no reason to talk shit like that."

"I swear to gods, you and him had better be worth keeping around. We've come too far for you and your attitude to mess everything up." Sarkhan growled.

"What are we doing here anyway!?" She groaned. "Why can't we just watch things from the floor!"

"Because Tezzeret has already manned the dance floor and we need eyes watching this event from above." Sarkhan explained, sounding painfully annoyed. "If I were to place to down there with him, you'd lose yourselves in the merriment of the dance and take your eyes off who we're here for. It's best you two are kept very far away from one another while there's work to be done." He heard Baltrice huff in frustration as she leaned back over the railing.

"Why are we watching this dance so closely, again?"

"Nicol Bolas simply said to watch for any activity from Beleren. We weren't to contact him until we see something."

"But we never had to watch him this closely before! Why now, all of a sudden!?"

"Why is it that you follow orders without so much of a word when Bolas asks you to do something, but you constantly complain to me about his orders?" Sarkhan hissed.

"Um, because you're not a gigantic, powerful dragon. Duh." Baltrice huffed.

"I swear, give me a good enough reason and I _will _kill you." Sarkhan warned. "The wrath of Bolas is a lot more a welcome thing than listening to you prattle on."

"...You never answered my question." Baltrice added after a short moment of silence. Sarkhan muttered angrily to himself.

"Bolas appears to believe that tonight we might actually see some activity from Jace Beleren. He couldn't say for sure, but it's better to be safe than to be sorry." He explained, not bothering to cover up how angry he was with the younger girl. "Now shut up before I'm forced to sew your lips together."

Baltrice mimicked him mockingly, but without a sound- only moving her lips and waggling her tongue in an immature fashion- as she looked back down toward the dance floor.

_Sorry, Tezz_, she thought to herself, _looks like we can't enjoy the dance together like we planned. _

* * *

Jace didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed that the moment he and Chandra reached the spacious event hall where the dance was being held, Chandra had run off somewhere, leaving him alone. Standing against the wall, watching everyone else have hundreds of times more fun that he was, he could just barely catch a glimpse of her fiery gown through the sea of dancing bodies. She was gabbing with a bunch of female companions that Jace had been unaware she even had. Every once in a while she'd cast a smile in his direction, acknowledging his existence, but kept at a distance. What in the world was she doing? She'd asked him there, hadn't she? Was this all some sort of sick joke?

He stared down at his feet, unsure what to do. If he stayed here, alone, it would hurt his pride, but at least he'd leave the dance with a clear conscience. But then all he could think of was how much a waste of time it all was- not just the dance, but everything else he'd gone through the passed few days. Worrying about Gideon, getting annoyed at Chandra, getting nervous Liliana would catch wind of him going to the dance with someone else and every other emotion he'd spared that moment would be wasted if he just stood there, acting like he'd come alone rather than with someone.

"What's the point..." He muttered to himself looking up briefly and feeling his stomach turn. Not too far from Chandra, in a group that was made up mostly of other members of the football team, was Gideon, carrying on as if nothing was wrong. Jace felt the need to try and cast a spell to blend himself into the wall, hoping that his friend didn't notice him there. He didn't know if he could take the look of disgust and anger reserved only for him another time.

Quickly, he looked to Chandra to see if she noticed him, too, but she seemed unaware of Gideon's presence as she was of the fact that leaving her date to stand around alone wasn't exactly normal. She seemed so happy and unaware, taking and laughing with her friends. Gideon seemed equally as content, not even catching notice that Chandra was nearby. They stood at a distance, no longer connected at the hip like they had been, laughing and chatting like the other didn't exist. And Jace had been the cause of it all.

"Gods, I'm an idiot?"

"You're a what now?" A familiar voice spoke, emanating from his blind spot. He jumped, hand over his chest for fear his heart would spring from his body it beat so hard against his ribs. Eyes wide with panic and guilt he turned to see the last person he wanted to see: Liliana. How odd that her presence that usually filled him with an alarming sense of calm was now the reason for his cold, nervous sweat and frantic, inner anxiety.

She wore a short, black, strapless dress, silver swirls and spirals dancing around the hem. Her hair was put up into a bun, one, single strand being allowed to dangle from the bunch down her back. Her black, open-toed heels were just high enough that she matched his height and looked him right in the eyes.

"L-Liliana!" He gasped, trying and failing to turn his shocked expression into a relaxed smile. He was way too high strung to even remember how to smile, even though he'd practiced faking one all night. "W-Wha... You... You said-!"

"I changed my mind. Hearing Emmara nag at you for days on end about something will do that to you. You eventually just do what she says just to make her stop talking and not because you want to." She grumbled before casting her gaze into the crowd. A few people had taken notice of her, and had drifted away, like she was emitting some kind of odor, but everyone else was too engaged in dancing and chatting to give a damn. She put on a frustrated half smile, and as Jace looked out to where she was gazing, his eyes settled on Chandra who was looking over her shoulder at him, a territorial look in her eyes.

"So... how is the date going?" It was a simple question, but each word was barbed enough to sting and dig into Jace's skin.

"The... date?" Jace gulped nervously.

"I'm kind of surprised you're here with Chandra, though. From what you've told me, you don't find her all that attractive." Liliana continued as if Jace hadn't even spoke. "I really shouldn't stick around, or your girl might get the wrong idea about us."

"Sweet gods, Liliana, she isn't 'my girl', alright? I'm here with her because of a misunderstanding- An accident!" Jace tried to defend himself from Liliana's verbal attacks.

"Wow. I've never heard that one before. A man accidentally taking a woman out to a dance- I'm surprised that doesn't happen more often."

"I swear, it's the truth! And now Gideon's pissed at me, and now you're here-"

"And I'm sorry to have sullied your night with my presence." Liliana cut in, her words digging deep. "And why would Gideon be angry with you, I wonder? I mean, I understand that Chandra never caught on to his obvious longing for her, but you, a mind reader... A bold move, moving in on someone elses object of affection."

"Liliana, I swear... I've had people misunderstand my actions left and right these passed few days. Could you please just believe me for five seconds instead of tear down everything I say!?" Jace shouted.

"Oh, right, I'm just supposed to step aside and accept the fact you're taking some other girl to a dance!"

"You didn't even want to go in the first place! Would you rather I stay cooped up in my dorm room and avoid human contact!?"

"For someone who prides himself on being so damn smart, you're proving yourself to be pretty thick right now!"

Just then the heavy bass and fast beat of the music changed drastically to a more smooth, slow beat as the dance floor cleared out, leaving only couples wrapped in each others arms to dance. Jace's eyes quickly darted to Chandra, who was bidding her friends goodbye, and then back to Liliana, who was rolling her eyes and starting to walk away.

"Enjoy your slow dance. You've really earned this one." She grumbled. Frantically, Jace raked his brain for something he could do. He only had a few seconds to think, and thus he culminated the thought to reach out and grab Liliana's hand before she walked out of reach and force her onto the dance floor. She protested, but he managed to find the strength inside of himself to keep her held before him as he more or less forced her to dance with him. He locked eyes with her, mostly so he could make her believe he was series, but also to keep from looking up to see what Chandra was doing, watching him drag her self-proclaimed mortal enemy onto the dance floor during a slow dance. In fact, he was keeping from looking up and seeing anybody. He was sure he and Liliana stuck out like a sore thumb.

"What in the _hell_ are you doing?" She hissed, her attempts to free herself matching the beat of the music, as if she were trying to mask the fact she was trying to escape.

"I'm trying to tell you something!" He whispered harshly through clenched teeth. "This was literally the only thing I could think of."

"Really? Pulling me onto the dance floor so everyone can see me was the 'only thing you could think of'?" Liliana questioned. "You know, following after me might have worked a little better."

"Look, I'm sorry, I didn't have much time to think-"

"Clearly"

"-but there's something I really need to tell you!"

"Well I'm all ears now." She snapped.

"I..." Jace began before starting over, not wanting to jump the gun before he explained himself. "Chandra asked me to the dance, but I thought she'd asked if I was just going and if she could tag along! And now Gideon is pissed at me because he thinks I'm trying to take Chandra away from him and I have no idea how Chandra feels but apparently she likes me a lot more than I thought she did!"

"Well that was a mouthful."

"I'm just trying to explain what I'm doing here. I'm not here because I want to be, or because I like Chandra. I couldn't even be attracted to Chandra even if I tried!"

"Could have fooled me." Liliana murmured in response.

"Gods, could you cut that out! I'm telling you the truth!"

"Why? Why in the world are you so set on trying to convince me you aren't here on a romantic date with little miss fiery red head over there?" Liliana snarled.

"Because I really like you, alright!?" Jace shouted, unaware of just how loud he'd spoken as he came to a stop. Liliana froze, looking back at him in surprise.

"You... you _what_?"

Jace couldn't think of any words to summon. All he could do was act in attempts to get his message through to Liliana. And those actions were to pull her in close and kiss her- not in the cheek or the forehead, but full on the lips. She fought for only a second before she went completely still, allowing him to kiss her. In that moment, only Jace and Liliana exited. There was no one to hear them or see them- it was just them, lips locked, arms frantically wrapped around the other.

However, the moment was brought to an end as Liliana pulled herself away, gasping and pushing against Jace's chest to finally free herself. She stared back at him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed as she gasped for breath. Her hair that had been fastened to keep it out of her face fell in front of her features in thick strands.

It was in that moment that Jace realized there was no sounds aside from the music coming from the speakers. There was no talking or shuffling or stamping of feet. He looked up to see everyone in the events hall stopped dead in their tracks, staring at them. He caught a quick glimpse of Chandra and immediately averted his eyes, catching a look of devastation he couldn't linger on. And when his vision came to rest of Liliana, she was running away.

"Liliana!" He shouted, shuffling frantically from foot to foot as he looked around at everyone in the dance floor. Cursing to himself he ran after her, out of the events hall.

Meanwhile, Chandra watched him run off, feeling both furious enough to burn down the entire building as well as betrayed enough to cry in front of everyone. Feeling tears well up in her eyes she pushed her way forcefully though the crowd at her back, running the opposite way with her hands covering her face. She hated herself for immediately thinking that her tears would smear her makeup and what a shame that would be.

Gideon looked over just in time to watch her run out. He stood hesitantly at first, not sure if he should pursue her. He was still trying to swallow what he'd seen unfold between Jace and Liliana, and it was taking a lot to process everything. He took one step, and then another.

If anything, this all meant that Jace and Chandra were...

Clenching his fists and groaning, angry at himself and the whole situation that was unfolding, he ran in the direction Chandra had gone, calling after her. Stumbling through the crowd, he managed to push his way into the dark hallway leading back to the main building. From what he'd been told, all magical alarm and security systems had been deactivated for the dance, just in case someone left and happened to trip something. So running around the school, for once, wouldn't get either him or Chandra, who had managed to vanish, into any trouble.

"Chandra?" He called, trying to listen for footsteps and hearing none. He'd always told Chandra she should try out for the track team, and this only stood as proof. She was impossibly fast. "Gods..." He ran forward, glad, at least, to know the one place Chandra would go when she was troubled and wanted to be alone. She'd told no one else but him, and he'd come to find her there many times: the rooftop. He made sure to run there at full speed, managing to stumble and trip in his haste down dark corridors and up stairs until he arrived.

At first he could see nothing on the roof, only making out shapes and shadows in the blackness. But then he heard the telling sound of sobbing and slowly, carefully made his way toward the noise. It was there he found her, hands grasping the wire mesh that circled the rooftop that glowed red against her touch as she unintentionally summoned up magics in her sadness. He approached her slowly, trying not to surprise her, but she still managed to hear him.

"Go away!" She cried.

"...Chandra." Gideon spoke. Her form straightened up as she whirled around to see him. It was hard to see, but it was more than obvious she'd been crying as she frantically attempted to wipe the tears that covered her face.

"You... what are you doing here?" She muttered. "You've been so distant lately... why chose to see me now? Have you come to make fun of me?" She turned back around, clutching the half-melted wire. "Because it's funny, right? The guy I like likes someone else. Of course, I mean, why wouldn't he? Who would even like _me_?"

"Chandra, I-"

"Why are men so dumb anyway?" Chandra continued, beginning to cry again.

"...Do you really expect me to answer that?" Gideon asked, getting silence as his answer as Chandra quietly sobbed. He sighed before taking a long, preparatory breath.

"Chandra... I don't know much about Jace- or all of man kind, either... but I know I've been pretty dumb myself. I've been biding my time, always figuring you'd... never find someone."

"Are you trying to make a joke at my expense right now? Because now _really_ isn't the time." Chandra warned.

"No, no! I just... gods, I can't say it, even now. I've never said it to anyone... it's probably the hardest thing to say..." Gideon rambled on, slowly approaching her as she turned around, eyeing him curiously with tear-filled eyes. "But those three simple words were what could have stopped this all from happening. I've just always been... afraid you would turn me down. We'd lose everything if that happened... I..."

"Gideon..." Chandra cut in, sounding an odd combination of annoyed and shocked. "...Are you trying to say you _like_ me?"

"I...I just... you..." Gideon stumbled over his words a couple of times before slowly nodding instead.

"...For how long?"

"A _really_ long fucking time..." Gideon chuckled nervously, sounding just as emotional as Chandra did. "I'm sorry... if that makes you uncomfortable. I really didn't want to... so we can just forget about all this if you want. I just... really want to go back to the way things were now... I..."

Before he could continue he felt arms wrap around him in a warm, comforting embrace. He looked down to find Chandra hugging him, her eyes averted to the ground. He immediately tensed up.

"Chandra-"

"Just... just shut up for a second, okay?" She mumbled. "Shut up before you say something stupid and ruin the moment..."

Gideon relaxed before he reached down and cupped Chandra's chin, but not forcing her head up.

"Chandra... lift your head."

* * *

"Liliana! Gods dammit, wait!" Jace shouted as he ran after Liliana. He'd chased her all the way into the school- all the way into the main entrance where she finally stopped, much to Jace's surprise. He stumbled to a halt as well, clumsily scrambling until he stood solidly on two feet. "_Finally_!"

"What the hell was that, Jace!?" She snapped, turning to him as she tried to fix her hair that was starting to come undone.

"I don't know, I thought it was pretty straight forward, so I'm not really sure what you're confused about." Jace huffed, trying to catch his breath.

"How about you start with, I don't know, _why_!?" Liliana practically shrieked.

"I didn't know what else to do, alright? It was now or never, so I took the chance."

"Gods, you're unbelievable!" Liliana groaned. "Subtlety is totally lost on you, isn't it!"

"I'm sorry, okay? I could have done something a little less extreme... but I meant what I said." Jace told her, slowly approaching her. She stood before him cautiously, like she was readying herself to run again. "When I'm around you... there aren't any secrets you keep from me, or thoughts you don't share. You speak what you say and for once, I'm not full of doubt around someone. I've never felt that around anyone... not even Kallist."

"Jace..." Liliana sighed, allowing Jace to draw close enough to rest his hands on her shoulders, but not much more than that as she met him step for step once he had a hold on her.

"Look, I don't care if you reject me! I just want to live knowing I told you how I really felt. You don't keep any secrets from me... so I don't want to keep any secrets from you."

"Jace, don't. You already-" Liliana began, feeling Jace's grip grown tighter on her shoulders.

"I have to. I have to say it, as many times as it takes." Jace forced. "I... I love you, Liliana!"

In that moment, Jace's head began to ache suddenly, and he was forced to let Liliana go to clutch at his own skull. Those same voice he'd heard the day he mind-wiped Tajic returned, shouting and crying that same, mysterious word.

_Guildpact!_

_Guildpact!_

_Guildpact!_

"Wh... Jace? What's going on?" Liliana asked, whipping her head back and forth, looking around frantically. "Where are those voices coming from?"

"Y-You hear them, too?" Jace muttered in agony just as the ground beneath them began to shake. They both looked down just in time to find the school emblem at their feet glowing as a dull rumble and crack echoed from below. The two of them were forced to separate, watching as the emblem's light died out just before the ground split open. Both Jace and Liliana stumbled backward, expecting to be swallowed up.

"Wh...what is...?" Jace muttered moments before the rumbling ceased along with the whispers and hisses of the disembodied voices. Groaning as he regained his footing, his headache slowly dissipated. Now that the chaos had died down, him and Liliana were standing opposite one another, looking down at a hole that had opened up in the ground, a set of stairs leading down into the darkened depths.

"...What in the actual _fuck_?" Liliana hissed as she and Jace slowly approached the opening.

"What was that?"

"Do I look like I know what that was?"

"Sorry..."

They looked down into the darkness for a few more seconds before Liliana spoke up.

"...Should we... I don't know... go down there?"

"Don't. Now isn't the time." A third, new voice chimed in. Jace and Liliana whirled around to find Avacyn walking into the main entrance hall, a soft smile on her face. She was dressed up as if she'd just come from the dance as well, wearing a black dress that draped all the way to the ground and dragged behind her and long, black gloves that reached passed her elbows. She wore a single, black rose in her hair that she allowed to flow freely behind her.

"...What?" Jace questioned. "What exactly is going on here?"

"Your questions will be answered in time. My father wishes to speak to you- to the both of you." She explained, the same monotone in her voice as usual. "All I am at liberty to tell you is that the maze has finally been unsealed. Welcome back to Ravnica, Jace Beleren. It's been a very, very long time."


	13. Opened Eyes

"So is this the entrance to the maze?" Baltrice craned her head, attempting to look into the darkness that engulfed the now exposed stairwell. "Can't we just go ahead and go down there ourselves? I mean, what we need is down there, and there's no one around to stop us, right?"

"Idiot, we can't just waltz into the maze. We don't know if anything dangerous is down there or not." Tezzeret scolded, pulling her back by the collar of her jacket. She stumbled backward, accidentally brushing against him as she regained her balance.

"It's doubtful that anything guarding that place is even alive, and if there's traps they may have rotted or eroded away years ago." Sarkhan added, rolling his eyes and folding his arms as he, too, drew near to the exposed entrance. "That and you forgot only Jace Beleren can obtain what we need. We can manage our way through the maze all we want, but we won't be able to get what lies at the end without him."

"Very true, Sarkhan." A sultry, feminine voice called from the darkness. All three of them turned around just as Nicol Bolas appeared from the darkness, cloaked in illusions that made him appear to be an attractive human woman.

"S-sir..." Baltrice muttered. Bolas looked to her and to his other followers, noticing their obvious discomfort.

"Gods, I'm thousands of years old. At least give me the pleasure to walk around in whatever skin I please." He grumbled, eyes aglow.

"Y-you make a good point... sir." Sarkhan nodded, adding the final word hesitantly.

"As do you, Sarkhan." Bolas chuckled as he walked passed him and over to the mouth of the maze, running his hand under his chin in a combination of flirtatiousness and roughness. "What we need in this maze can only be gotten for us by Beleren. And so now we move on to the next phase of our plan."

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, how did you figure that Beleren would open the maze? He's been here before under similar circumstances and the entrance didn't appear." Tezzeret inquired.

"It's quite simple, actually. Last he was here, he was by himself." Bolas explained. "When the Living Guildpact sealed this very maze, he did so not on his own. _She_ was more or less present that day everything came to an end."

* * *

Jace and Liliana followed after Avacyn nervously, casting looks towards one another, expressing both worry and confusion. The white-haired girl hadn't spoken a word since she'd beckoned them to follow her to the dean's office. All there was in terms of sound was the stepping of their feet against the tiled floor. Jace bit his lip, turning back towards Avacyn.

"I know you said everything would be explained later... but what exactly is going on?" He asked her. "What happened back there?"

"Your destiny has been put into motion. What happens now and what you believe after tonight is your choice." Avacyn spoke cryptically, not once turning to look at either him or Liliana.

"Excuse me but... destiny? I'm sorry, but doesn't that sound a little ridiculous?" Liliana questioned, raising an eyebrow. Avacyn came to a sudden stop, followed shortly by Jace and Liliana. She looked over her shoulder, a legitimate expression finding it's place on her face. And it wasn't at all pleased.

"Do not scoff at something we and this world have waited millenia for." She uttered harshly. "As farfetched as this all seems, it couldn't be a more serious matter." She swiftly turned around, her hair flying around her as she did. "My father can explain what will become of your fate in greater detail when we arrive. Until then, I ask that you don't treat this like a joke."

"Alright, alright, sorry! Sheesh..." Liliana muttered as her and Jace continued to follow after her.

"...Did she say 'millenia'?" Jace whispered to Liliana. "Like... thousands of years 'millenia'?"

"I can't think of any other 'millenia' she could have meant that by, so..." She shrugged.

"You're taking the fact that she and apparently a bunch of other people have been alive and waiting around for... whatever that was back there to happen for thousands of years pretty well." He mentioned.

"Am I?"

"We're here." Avacyn interrupted as the three of them arrived at the entrance to the dean's office. Jace had been there only once, when he'd enrolled in the Academy, and he was already having violent flashbacks of how intimidating Dean Markov had been when they first met. It didn't help he'd been around on campus long enough to hear the rumors that he was actually a vampire and feasted on problem students.

"Father, I've brought them." Avacyn spoke as she knocked lightly on the door that opened without aid. She walked in a few steps, nodding to whoever was in the room and motioned silently for Jace and Liliana to follow her. Hesitantly they did so, Liliana reaching out and taking Jace's hand.

One thing Jace immediately realized was the curtains. They were especially thick, from what he remembered from his last visit, and blocked out all natural light. He remembered this because they'd been drawn when he enrolled, the only thing lighting the room being lamps. But now they were drawn back, exposing the room to the pale moonlight that was now the only source of light in the room. It was just enough to make out objects and not run into them as well as the tall figure standing behind the grand, wooden desk that sat near the far end of the room. Jace recognized the long, silvery hair and the way the figure held himself: Dean Markov.

"So our wait is finally over." He said. He was facing away from them still, but Jace could just hear the cruel smile that was most likely on his features in his voice. "The maze has been reopened."

"Well... we definitely opened _something- _not sure if it's this maze you keep going on about..." Jace confirmed. Dean Markov quickly turned to face them, his cold gaze settling on him, drawing a spastic chill up his spine. His skin was just as pale as his hair, suggesting the dean hardly ever saw any sunlight (which was something that only drove suspicion of his unconfirmed species).

"I have no doubt it was the entrance to the maze that has long been sealed below this very school. I had it built to protect what it holds, and to draw any magic-folk who had nowhere else to turn in hopes you, too, would be drawn here." Dean Markov explained. His words were smooth- putting even silk to shame. "It is, after all, your destiny to unseal the maze and retrieve what lies inside."

"Again with this whole 'destiny' business- that I don't understand either." Jace muttered, a combination of fear and frustration brewing in his gut as he spoke. "You and Avacyn keep talking like I've been here before. Why is it my destiny to-?"

"Before I explain anything to you, or to Liliana here, you two must promise me you'll keep an open mind." Dean Markov interrupted. "What I'm about to tell you is something that would be easier to ignore and close your minds off to. But trust me when I say that every word I share with you here is nothing but the truth."

Jace couldn't help but notice Liliana grasping his hand tighter before she nodded silently. He looked over to her, but her eyes remained looking unwaveringly forward. He turned back to Dean Markov and nodded as well.

"We promise, Dean Markov."

"Please, call me Sorin. I'd rather we be on a first-name-basis after tonight- after what I intend to tell you..." Sorin paused, his gaze, once again, falling specifically on Jace. "Of the day the Living Guildpact cursed this world."

"That name again..." Jace groaned.

"You've heard it before?"

"You could say that." Jace nodded. "What exactly is a 'guildpact'?"

"Well, a 'guildpact' is exactly as it's explained in the history of our school: a set of laws to keep the guilds in line. Those laws have changed over the course of history to accommodate with this changing world, but the definition, at least remains the same." Sorin told him, at first supplying an unsatisfactory answer, judging by Jace's frown. "However, the 'Living Guildpact" was a man who lived thousands of years ago who watched over the guilds of Ravnica's past in the stead of the guildpact, keeping the peace... that is, until he no longer saw fit to keep it and instead turned to drowning this world in chaos and anarchy."

"But... why?" Jace questioned. "...and for that matter _how_?"

"The Living Guildpact was strong and wise enough to oversee the guilds and stand in place of the guildpact, but even he couldn't account for the devastation of a war." Sorin explained, walking over to one of them open windows.

"War?" Jace asked. "Caused by what?"

"Or who..." Sorin paused. "The great peace we once knew on this world was destroyed by a creature known as Nicol Bolas. He sought revenge on those who had bound him, and he found fueling the flames of war on Ravnica to be a suitable means of revenge. He knew what the Living Guildpact would be forced to do in a war against him.

"War was something he found himself lacking experience to face, so in his distress he called upon people like me: people from different planes of existence who could walk the roads connecting all the different worlds, and the very same that invoked Nicol Bolas' anger. We called ourselves 'planeswalkers'."

Jace couldn't help but notice Liliana's head snap up, followed shortly by a soft chuckle from Sorin.

"I take it you're already aware of the term, miss Vess?" He asked her.

"That's... the magic that Chandra's brother was studying... the one that got him expelled." Liliana told him, sounding shocked. "He broke into the school's forbidden library and read a lot about people who could travel between worlds. He... became more than interested in the prospect of leaving Ravnica for another plane that was more accepting of magic-folk."

"Ah, yes, I remember his case well." Sorin nodded. "Unfortunately, along with his expulsion, he wouldn't have been able to master such an art. He lacks such a spark that would ignite his ability to walk between worlds. But, more than that, the knowledge of planeswalking has been lost for thousands of years."

"What? H-how?" Jace asked. "That doesn't seem like something you can just forget."

"And as a mind mage you will understand when I say that anything can be made to be forgotten." Sorin corrected. "And thus was one of the many facets of the Living Guildpact's curse."

"Why? Why in the world would he curse the place he wanted to protect?" Jace asked, sounding overwhelmed.

"It was upon losing the most precious thing to him that the Living Guildpact saw no point in trying to force back the forces of Nicol Bolas or trying to maintain peace on the plane of Ravnica. He was a man lost to madness, and all he desired was for us all to suffer as he suffered. So he cursed this plane and all those who were on it, starting with removing our knowledge of planeswalking, as well as each, individual spark. It was then that he proved much more powerful than any of us could have thought, seeing as he was able to bore even into the mind of Nicol Bolas himself and do the same to him.

"This gave rise to more panic, and naturally you can understand that hundreds of people who don't belong somewhere suddenly unable to return home can cause quite a stir. Many lives were lost during that time- some of them taken by the Living Guildpact himself, who at that point had become nothing but a shell of his former self, harboring only anger and madness. He was eventually killed in hopes that it would reverse the effects of his spell, but he'd locked what he had taken away from us within the maze that lies below us and sealed it. And only he could reopen it and retrieve what he'd stored there.

"Chaos ensued for years following that event and, at least, this caused the death of almost every planeswalker who had been brought to Ravnica to try and save it from ruin. The only two that survived and continue to survive are Nicol Bolas and myself."

"Wait, you said this was thousands of years ago. How are you still alive?" Liliana questioned.

"...The students at this school are quite the knowledgeable group. What's been widely regarded as a rumor is, in fact, plain and honest truth."

"So you _are_ a vampire!" Jace gasped accidentally, throwing a hand over his mouth shortly after speaking. Sorin chuckled, his outburst amusing him.

"You are correct, Jace, though unlike what people may lead you to believe I pose no threat to you. After thousands of years of being trapped here, I can more than honestly say I've developed a sense of subtlety in my feedings. Feeding on my own students would only bring bad publicity."

Jace couldn't help but feel a little more at ease.

"Nicol Bolas, on the other hand, is a dragon, whose species already have very impressive lifespans. But, the more powerful the dragon, the longer they live, and Bolas stands out as the most powerful dragon as well as one of the most powerful planeswalkers. He has enough power to fuel his state of living for a long, long while."

"So... what happened after all the other planeswalkers died?" Jace asked him. Sorin sighed heavily, as if he were suddenly exhausted.

"This was after years and years of mindlessly fighting, but even though we had come to oppose and despise one another we came to form a ceasefire that would only be lifted once the maze had been opened and it's contents released." Sorin paused again. "And since then, we've bore witness to the other facets of the curse of the Living Guildpact."

"Like what?" Liliana dared to ask.

"The first thing I came to realize was that mana has been slowly leaking from our plane. Over time, less and less mages began to appear, until they were the minority and feared by the regular human population as they are today. We have no idea where the mana has been going, but I have reason to believe it, too, is stored inside the maze." He stopped, noticing Jace, at least, frantically looking around, trying to be subtle. "The loss of mana is slow, something you wouldn't be able to observe in a regular human lifetime, but if you were to live, say, for centuries, you'd notice that magic is much more difficult to summon. Those headaches you suffer from, Jace, are the result of trying to draw from a depleted mana pool."

"What will happen if mana completely depletes?" Jace asked, sounding like he only half-wanted to hear the explanation.

"This world would become one without magic. Magical creatures such as elves and dragons would die out, and magic would cease to be. This, of course, doesn't concern me, unless mana and the presence of blood within humans are linked somehow without my knowledge. If this were simply the case, I wouldn't bother to act. But the ceasefire between Bolas and I is nearing it's end, now that the maze has been unsealed. If I were to simply allow things to be, he could claim what's in that maze for himself and become even more powerful- so much he could rule over this plane and many, many others. And I refuse to have that."

"That's another thing I've been meaning to ask..." Jace said hesitantly. "You said the maze could only become unsealed by the Living Guildpact. How did I...?"

"You seem like you're on the verge of a breakthrough, but naturally you probably are much too skeptical to come to the conclusion yourself." Sorin shook his head. "It all relates to the final part of the curse. When people on this plane die, their souls remain trapped here, as if this place was a limbo, and they have no choice but to return to the realm of the living. As such, I have seen fallen warriors be reborn years after their deaths, unaware they lived, fought and died here previously.

"Now, what I'm about to tell you is where keeping an open mind will serve you best. It will sound unbelievable, but I ask for your trust. The Living Guilpact, the man who lived to protect Ravnica, who cursed this plane, was Jace Beleren. And the thing he lost that forced him into madness was his lover, Liliana Vess."

"W-what?! No!" Jace gasped, immediately refusing to believe what Sorin said. "That... that's..."

"Then explain to me how you managed to open a sealed maze that only Jace Beleren, the Living Guildpact, could reopen? I can make specific historical texts we have unavailable to students available if you want proof. Of course, you could always wait until Bolas makes his own presence known and asks you to run the maze for him. I'm sure when a dragon of his size and stature makes himself known to you, you'll be more than glad to believe what I've told you here."

Jace remained silent, staring down Sorin with a look that was riddled with confusion and mistrust. Liliana looked over to him, concerned, before looking to Sorin.

"I'm guess this is where you ask Jace to run the maze for _you_ then?" She asked in his stead.

"More or less. This is where I ask Jace to simply run the maze opposing Bolas. I have no immediate need for what lies in there. Should he reach the end of the maze and chose to reignite the spark of the planeswalkers, it will be only a slight convenience to me. It's not the most interesting life I lead, but I can continue living comfortably here, magic or no magic, for a long while. Should Jace choose not to run the maze and leave what has been sealed there to continue to rot within, magic will eventually become something that ceases to exist here and even Bolas will suffer in such a place. It's a win/win situation for me in the end."

Sorin approached the two of them until he was standing before Jace whose gaze was now focused on the crimson carpet of the dean's office.

"What you do after this point is your own decision, Beleren. It is your own destiny, not mine or Bolas'. Do what you believe is right for Ravnica, just like the Living Guildpact before you. It may seem like a heavy burden, but it's true when I say that the fate of this plane rests in your hands now. I'm only here to give you necessary information, not make decisions for you"

Jace continued to be voluntarily mute, refusing to meet Sorin's gaze.

"Thanks, we'll keep that in mind." Liliana spoke, grabbing Jace's arm. "May we be dismissed now?"

"If you're content with what you've learned, you're free to." Sorin nodded. "In the meantime, we'll have the main entrance blocked off until such time where I can come up with an explanation for it for the others. I suggest you keep an ear to the ground on the matter."

"Sure, sure..." Liliana muttered, tugging Jace in the direction of the door. He weakly followed after Liliana, looking over his shoulder to Sorin. Yanking away from her grip, he turned to face the dean, finally looking up into his eyes.

"...What would the old Jace Beleren have done?" He asked shakily.

"I don't think that matters." Sorin responded coldly. "You and him are one in the same, so whatever you chose to do is what he would chose to do."

"...Right..." Jace weakly nodded before turning and leaving with Liliana, casting one more look over his shoulder before the doors closed behind him.

"What now, father?" Avacyn asked. "Are we to truly put our fate in the hands of Jace Beleren as he is now?"

"I refuse to force the boy's hand in any direction, Avacyn." Sorin told her, returning to his seat behind the desk. The way he sat revealed he was a lot more bothered by the events that had transpired than he let on. "Jace Beleren made the decision to curse this plane, it will be Jace Beleren who will choose, in the end, to lift it or not."

"It seems, in the end, after all this time, we're still just slaves to fate." Avacyn sighed, looking to the door Jace and Liliana had left through.

"Everything is in your hands now, Beleren."

* * *

"Jace..." Liliana spoke after a considerable amount of silence as the two of them began to walk back (although to where was unclear). She nibbled at her lip as she considered her words. A gigantic set of news had just been dropped in their laps, so was it really all that wise to add something else? She took a deep breath, and then another, opened her mouth and closed it again.

If anything, Jace deserved her honesty.

"Jace, there's something I need to tell you." She began, turning around to face Jace who had since been following behind her. "I'm-" She spun around to find Jace a ways behind, leaning on the wall for support with one hand clutching at his skull. "Jace!" She ran over to him, reaching him as soon as he slid to the floor. She dropped beside him, hands hovering shaking just above him, unsure of what to do.

"Jace! What's wrong!?" She asked in a panic.

"Headache..." He moaned in agony. "I just... need my medication..." He looked up at her, trying to force a smile in attempts to make it appear he was okay. But, if her worried expression was anything to go by, chances were he didn't look too convincing. "I'll be... fine..."

Those were the last words he was able to utter before the world around him went dark.


	14. Tell Me the Truth

_Jace Beleren looked at the now demolished city of Ravnica. The place he had come to call his home had fallen to utter ruin, destroyed by a war he tried and failed desperately to stop. He tried again and again to convince himself- and had been doing so since the beginning- that the events that had transpired had been out of his control, but he still felt more than a twinge of guilt for the whole ordeal. The guilds had originally turned to him when the dragon, Nicol Bolas, had descended upon their plane, and he'd been incapable of coming up with a decision. He'd called for help, as had been done before concerning the beast, but he proved a lot more formidable than before. Now Ravnica was a plane divided, and thousands upon thousands had lost their lives; all because he'd made the wrong choices in the beginning, when people had turned to him for help. _

"_Jace..." A worried voice called his name. Jace ignored her at first, choosing instead to brood. He knew what she was going to say- she's suggested it over and over, and each time he had refused. "Jace!" _

"What_, Liliana?" He finally groaned in exhaustion as he turned to the necromancer standing at his back. She'd been one of the first to answer the call (she had her own reasons to oppose Bolas, or at least that's what she had said) and had since been by his side. Jace wished there was an appropriate time for him to thank her- a break in the constant battle where he could relax and make his gratitude towards her known. Without her, the constant fighting and crippling losses would have driven him mad. But that peace had yet to come._

"_Jace, we can't stay here!" She began to protest. Jace immediately turned his back on her before she could finish, but she went on talking, determined to finish. "This plane is doomed, you know that! There's no point in staying here. Bolas and his forces have yet to fall, even after everything you, the guilds and everyone else has thrown at him. Can't you see, you've given your all and it hasn't even broken his stride! There's no saving Ravnica, Jace!"_

"_No one is keeping you here, Liliana. If you think we're fighting a lost cause, then you're free to go." Jace darkly snapped, looking over his shoulder and narrowing his eyes. "I refuse to give up on Ravnica, not after all I've done. I have a purpose here!" _

"_And look what good you're doing now! The living guildpact: unable to do anything but gaze over a destroyed city and watch as countless die." Liliana snarled. "The guilds long since turned their backs on you, Jace! Not even the planeswalkers you brought here are bothering to look to you! I think they've all made it quite clear that they don't need you anymore, so why do you continue to stay!?" _

"_Someone like you wouldn't understand!" Jace shouted, his cloak billowing out behind him as he whirled around to meet her furious gaze. Her look of insulted surprise should have been a sign for him to stop- to apologize and leave the conversation to rot- but sleeplessness paired with helplessness and stress had long since driven Jace to become less of an empathetic man than he once had been. "Someone like you, who refuses to find value in anything or anyone, would never understand!"_

_Liliana staggered backward as if Jace's words had actually been a physical blow. She glared back at him, eyes full of anger and emotion she was holding back. _

"_You think I don't understand? Do you really think I'm that heartless?" She hissed furiously. "Why do you think I came here, Jace!? I was on some other plane, far away from this madness, but the second I heard your voice I came here... you're the one who doesn't understand! You're so concerned about everything- the bigger picture- you never bother to look at what's right in front of your face!"_

_The two of them stared back at one another, nothing but the sounds of the fighting happening all around them to fill the air. Neither could dredge up a single word to say to the other, not having even enough energy to continue their argument. _

"_You're ability to leave this place is still on the table, Liliana. No one is forcing you to stay here." Jace finally spoke, beginning to turn away from her. "Don't let your feelings for me lead you to stay here and potentially get yourself hurt. I don't want another loss of something I care for weighing me down."_

"_You can't tell me what to do, Jace!" Liliana began to shout before a loud, powerful rumble cut her off. The ground beneath them shook, enough to nearly knock both of them off their feet. The already destroyed city crumbled all the more to a chorus of screams both human and metal. Jace attempted to right himself, trying to reach for something to hold onto as he tried to find the source of the attack that had no doubt been launched. But as he did, he suddenly felt something push him from behind, forcing him forward. He tripped and stumbled only a few times before completely tumbling to the ground. _

"_Shit!" He gasped as he quickly wrestled himself into an upright position and pulled back his hood as he quickly spun around to see what exactly had pushed him. And, as he did, his heart sank as the world itself seemed to stop. Every noise- every rumble, every scream, every yell- seemed miles away as he stood frozen, hoping- praying- he was seeing things. Any second now, he'd wake up, and all of this would be a horrible nightmare. _

_But he didn't. The nightmare proved itself to be real, no matter how much he wished. The sight of Liliana- half her body under a mountain of fallen rubble- remained ever-present and crystal clear before his eyes. _

"_L... Liliana..." He gasped, trying to force himself to move. But his body wouldn't obey- not his legs, or his arms or his eyes that continued to stare only forward. "Liliana!" _

"_J..." He heard her moan before coughing weakly. She was still alive- but not for long. The gods had granted him one last chance to speak to her- although it was just the chance to tell her goodbye. _

"_Liliana!" He repeated her name as he finally found the strength to move again. He dropped to her side, hands hovering over her. A crimson pool slowly oozed out from under the rubble, meeting Jace's knees. "Liliana... why?" _

"_How... completely stupid..." She mumbled, slowly lifting her head, smiling like nothing was wrong despite the thick flow of blood flowing from her lips. "To think... after everything I've done... _this_ is how I die." _

"_Shh! Please, Liliana, don't speak! You'll only hurt yourself!" Jace urged, his words wavering and shaking as he rested one of his hands on top of hers. _

"_It's okay... Jace... I don't feel anything. It... doesn't hurt." Liliana assured him. But Jace knew very well she wasn't in any pain- he'd made damn sure she wouldn't feel a single pin-prick as he reached into her mind and stopping her slowing mind from causing her to sense any pain at all. He held her mind desperately, feeling her slowly begin to slip. Thoughts, memories, and senses began to slip through his grip like sand. _

"_Liliana... please... don't leave me!" He cried, gripping her hand tighter. "I need you here, please!" _

"_Jace... There's... something I need... to tell you..." She whispered. Her skin grew pale, and the light began to vanish from her eyes. _

"_Lili..." _

"_Jace... I... I lo..." Before she could finish, Jace felt as her mind came to a halt, everything of value and importance completely bled dry from her thoughts. He stared down at her, eyes filled with tears as pained grunts and half-words escaping him. This... this couldn't be happening!_

"_No!" Jace shouted, sobbing desperately as he tightened his grip on her silent, empty mind and tried with all his might to try and draw something out of the darkness and hold it there. But, search as he might, there was nothing. No comforting thought, no memory of the time they'd spent together- nothing. But still he tried, exhausting himself as sweat began to drip from his brow as he tried to drag back the mind of what was now nothing but a corpse- an inanimate object. "You can't die! You can't! Liliana!" _

_Desperately he grasped her face and lifted it, but only found empty eyes staring back at him, blood dying from her lips down her chin and neck in vivid red. With quivering, shaking hands he wiped the blood from her lips. _

"_Please... you can't..." He sobbed, brushing his blood-dyed fingers along the soft skin of her face, leaving crimson trails. "I... I... I love you..." _

_In those moments, the living guildpact finally gave in to madness- his sanity leaving with the life of the person he cherished most. Nothing else mattered- no guild, or fellow planeswalker- not even the plane itself. The only thing that mattered was gone, and everything else could burn for all he cared. _

* * *

Jace gasped sharply, feeling beads of sweat fly off his face as he sat up- only to run into something and immediately throw himself back in the opposite direction.

"Fuck!" A voice cursed as Jace nursed his head, his eyes squeezed shut.

"Liliana!" He gasped, opened his eyes, coming to find her sitting beside him, rubbing her own head and gritting her teeth in agony. Jace felt his entire being relax with relief as his gaze settled on her. Other than a possible injury from him accidentally headbutting her, she was fine. She was sitting beside him, breathing. Alive. Sitting up again he reached out, taking her hand. "Thank gods!"

"W-What?" She looked back at him in confusion, but without removing her hand. Jace stammered, fumbling over his words as he tried to find reason for his relief.

"I... Sorry, I guess I... had a nightmare." He shook his head as he looked around where they were. It was hard to tell exactly, with the room bathed in darkness only broken by a pale ray of moonlight drifting in through a nearby window, but it looked like the school infirmary. A teakettle whistling somewhere in the darkness only proved those assumptions.

"A nightmare?" Liliana questioned as she left his bedside, head still cradled in her hand as she went to go quell the whistling. "What of?"

Jace opened his mouth to speak, but immediately drew back. The visions of the nightmare refused to fade or fizzle away. They were just as clear as if he'd actually experienced them, and it terrified him. He remembered especially clearly, the sensation of Liliana's mind slowly going out, like a flame blown out by the wind. He looked up at her, gazing at her through the darkness as she shuffled around, looking for cups, confirming she was still alive.

"...I... I couldn't tell... but... in it you..." He paused, his hesitation getting her attention as she gave up her search to look at him.

"I what?"

"You... died."

"Ah..." She responded surprisingly calmly as she went back to searching. Jace looked back at her in disbelief.

"That's all? You don't find it odd?"

"Not at all. Because it happened." Liliana spoke plainly, quietly cheering to herself victoriously as she finally came across cups hidden within one of the cupboards. "What you saw wasn't a nightmare. It was probably a memory. That sort of thing tends to happen when you're told about your... past."

"So... what I saw..." Jace muttered, the memory of what had happened earlier that night slowly coming back to him out of the haze. The things Sorin had told him, the things he'd apparently done when he was last alive, the doubt and the acceptance that followed all came flooding back, giving way to a headache not caused from having knocked heads with Liliana. "...It actually happened?"

"Unfortunately. You'll remember more and more now that you've been told." Liliana nodded as she returned, handing him first a mug of what Jace assumed was tea and then a bottle of what he came to find were his painkillers. "I have yet to remember my death. Maybe it's because that memory belongs to you."

"Wait, wait, hold on a second!" Jace interjected as he took the tea and medicine. "You talk like you already knew about all of this!"

"Not all of it. I've just known for a really long time that there was another Liliana Vess who lived and died before me. I didn't know about why, or what your involvement in it was... And despite how important I was to the Jace Beleren before you, I haven't found a single memory with him in them. So I've been in the dark about some things..."

"Well, you're certainly taking it pretty well."

"Opposed to the guy who fainted."

"Whatever, that doesn't change the fact you're _really_ calm. You were calm the entire time back at the dean's office." Jace continued. "...Why is that?"

"... Jace... I originally came to the dance tonight to tell you something. Naturally I didn't get to tell you, but now I think it's fitting I share. I don't think it's very fitting we keep any more secrets from one another." She paused, taking a seat back on the bed and looked down at her own drink.

"How old do you think I am, Jace?"

"Excuse me?"

"Just answer the damn question." She groaned, head rolling backward in frustration as she spoke.

"Fine, fine!" Jace sighed, taking a long look at her. "I mean, you look about my age... you hardly look more than a year or two older, in anything." Liliana sighed heavily, shaking her head.

"The news Sorin shared doesn't surprise me because, when you've been around for as long as I have, a lot of things just... stop surprising you." She spoke, a bitter smile on her face. "I've been around for well over a couple centuries, Jace. I've seen this world age and change without me while my aging process slowed until I remained the exact same. I've been this way for longer than a regular human should be alive."

"Wh-!" Jace exclaimed, mouth hanging open as he looked for any telling signs of aging on Liliana's face. Part of him wanted to call her out on it and call her a liar. But she sounded and looked so serious. After that night, he figured, he could believe just about anything, no matter how strange. "...H-how!?"

"You can thank the former Liliana for that." Liliana chuckled in defeat. "I was born a long, long time ago to a family who loved me... that is, until they came to find I was a girl possessed. Somehow, my body and soul were the property of two very powerful demons, and once they figured that out, they cast me out and I was forced to live my life on my own. I lived in fear of myself and the powers I'd been cursed with and so did everyone else. Discrimination against magic-folk had begun to take hold of society at the time, so I could find nowhere to go. No one would take in a girl who had the power to raise the dead- who was essentially possessed by demons even the most powerful, brave man would fear.

"I wound up figuring out my reason for being cursed from a traveling fortune teller when I was still a young girl. From what they were able to tell me, an ancestor of mine had given her soul up for youth and power, and died before she could fully pay her debt. I had no idea why the demons had chosen me to shoulder that debt, but at least I had my answer. It was then I began to notice I'd begun to age slower than everyone else. What the woman who had come before me wished for- youth and power- were also mine. I won't lie, I took advantage of both things to get by. I've done a lot of things I'm ashamed about even today to survive."

"So... how did you wind up here?" Jace asked. He'd completely forgotten about the meds Liliana had handed him and the headache they had been for.

"Well, I've been through here before, when this school was still new. I was intrigued by the fact that the city of Ravnica was a place made up of mostly magic-folk and was home to one of the first schools that catered specifically to mages and magical creatures. It was there I met Emmara who, when we met, was being harassed by a bunch of boys who were trying to woo her. After I did away with them, I became her body guard and eventually her friend even though I wasn't enrolled. I pretty much remained here until it came for Emmara to graduate, and in that time she figured out about my condition and it only brought us closer together. She found the fact I didn't age and why to be both sad and fascinating and stuck around so she could have a human friend who hardly aged and so that I could have someone who understood who I could talk to.

"That being said, she chose not to enroll in the school's college program and instead chose to go to a regular college to study nursing. I couldn't just follow her from place to place, so we went our separate ways. I'd drop by every once in a while, mostly to tell her where I'd be so she could send me letters. We've been doing so until recently, when a letter came in the mail what wasn't from Emmara. It was from the academy, extending an offering for me to enroll. It seemed really hoaxy, but in the end it turned out to be true. My first year I befriended both Chandra and Gideon and in the same year I lost them. And that pretty much brings me to where I am today. Now I see I was probably brought here to fulfill Sorin's purposes of opening the maze. It makes a lot of sense, looking at it that way."

"But... how did you figure out there was another Liliana Vess?" Jace inquired. And, for once, Liliana didn't immediately respond. She hesitated, looking nervous and almost frightened, biting her lip. "...Liliana?"

"I just... figured it out for myself, that's all. If you look hard enough, you'll eventually find things out, right?"

"You're not... lying, are you?"

"Hey, if you think I'm lying, why not just read my mind?" Liliana suddenly snapped, going from furious to calm almost within seconds as she drew back. "Sorry... I just... I'm telling the truth, honest."

"I trust you, Liliana." Jace responded, giving her a reassuring smile as he reached out and took her hand.

"Well, look at you, being all bold just because we were lovers in a past life." Liliana snorted, not moving her hand from his grip. "Do you really think it's wise to repeat the things they did?"

"S-Sorry..." Jace said, beginning to pull away but stopping himself. "I do... love you, though." He could feel his cheeks heat up and he was sure, even in the darkness, Liliana could probably see him blushing.

"You've made that point pretty clear." Liliana chuckled, reaching out and resting her own hand on top of his. "And... I-"

"Yeah?" Jace leaned forward eagerly.

"Gods, down boy." Liliana groaned, immediately pressing her open hand against his face and pushing him right back. "What I was_ going_ to say was I need to think about this a little. It's... a little hard to digest."

"Wait, let me get this straight." Jace muttered, gently taking her by the wrist and removing her hand from his face so he could speak clearly. "So figuring out all this stuff about past lives and reincarnation and there being a _maze_ beneath the school- that's okay and you can accept that. But the fact that I love you requires time for you to digest it?"

"The feelings of other people are a lot more complicated that even the grandest of schemes, Jace." Liliana sighed, sounding tired. "I'm not rejecting you, so calm down before you say something you'll regret. I... just need time is all."

Jace looked back at her, silence falling between them. His gaze slowly traveled down to the cup of tea he was holding before he sighed in defeat. It wasn't a rejection, but it still made him awfully nervous all the same. Liliana didn't really strike him as the type of person who would digest and think upon the feelings of other people. Still, it was best not to force a straight answer out of her.

"Alright..." He nodded, trying to give her his best, convincing smile. "You take all the time you need."

"... But... does everything I said not bother you at all?" Liliana asked, looking back at him nervously. "You know, the thing about the demons or the fact I'm much, _much_ older than you."

"Those things don't change who you are, though." Jace told her with a chuckle. "All those things make up the girl I fell in love with. And if it weighs things in my favor, I'll accept everything about you- the good and the bad."

"Gods..." Liliana shook her head, smirking. "That kind of thinking is going to get you hurt one day."

"Well that remains to be seen." Jace cocked an eyebrow playfully.

"Just drink your damn tea, Jace."


End file.
